Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2008  with  funding  from 

IVIicrosoft  Corporation 


http://www.archive.org/details/fiftyyearsbeyondOOIath 


Fifty  Years  and  Beyond; 


01?, 


GATHERED  GEMS  FOR  THE  AGED, 


EEV.  S.  G.  LATIIROP. 

WITH  AN  r:'7T't:rucTioN  by 

REV.    ARTHUR    EDWARDS,    D.D., 

Ebitor  of  the  Northwestern  Chkistian  Advocate. 


FLEMING    H.    REVELL, 


CHICAGO: 
148  AND  150  INIadison  St. 


NEW   YORK: 

148  AND  150  Nassau  St. 


Ful'hsker  of  Evangelical  Literature. 


COPTRIGHTED, 
BT    F.    H.    RETELL. 


DEDICATION. 


rO  THE  GOODLY  COMPANY  OP  MEN  AND  WOMEN  IN  OUR  COUNTRY,  WHO 
HAVE  REACHED  OR  PASSED  THE 

FIFTIETH    mile-stone' OF    LIFE, 

THIS  VOLUME   IS   AFFECTIONATELY   DEDICATED   BY   ITS   AUTHOR, 

WHO,  THROUGH  A  MERCIFUL  PROVIDENCE,  HAS  PASSED 

HIS   THREE-SCORE  YEARS,  AND   IS   RAPIDLY 

APPROACHING   HIS 

HOME  IN  THE  GREAT  BEYOND. 


fi9i  r^20 


PREFACE. 

This  volume  lias  been  prepared  for  persons  of  mature 
and  advanced  years,  under  the  conviction  that  such  a  vv^ork 
will  fill  a  space  in  our  literature,  and  with  a  hope  that  it 
will  prove  a  blessing  to  all  its  readers. 

There  are  numerous  volumes  for  children  and  youth. 
Books  abound  for  young  men  and  young  women,  and  for 
men  and  women  in  life's  various  relations  and  pursuits,  but 
only  a  few  volumes  have  ever  been  prepared  for  those  who 
are  passing  through  the  afternoon  and  evening  of  life. 

There  are  numerous  periodicals  for  children  and  youth, 
and  young  people,  and  departments  in  many  more  for 
these  classes,  but  there  are  no  periodicals,  and  no  depart- 
ments in  any,  for  the  aged. 

This  volume  is  a  religious  miscellany  for  the  mature  and 
the  aged.  But,  it  is  intended  to  do  more  than  simply  pro- 
vide interesting  and  entertaining  reading  for  such  persons. 
The  author  has  sought  to  enrich  its  pages  by  such  articles 
as  will  impart  instruction  and  comfort  to  the  aged,  teaching 
how  the  later  years  of  life  may  be  spent,  so  that  they  shall 
constitute  the  happiest  and  most  useful  of  all  life's  periods. 

There  can  be  no  reason  why  the  period  of  life  at  "  Fifty 
and  Beyond  "  may  not  be  rich  in  usefulness,  and  abundant 
in  its  comforts  and  joys.  Did  men  expect  this,  and  in  the 
earlier  periods  of  life  prepare  for  it,  they  would  find  this 
period  m  its  usefulness  and  "omforts  exceeding  their  high- 
est  hopes. 

The  articles  which  have  been  prepared  for  this  volume, 
by  the  following  eminent  physicians,   and  distinguished 


n  PREFACE. 


divines,  will  be  read  witli  great  interest :  N.  S.  Davis, 
M.D.,  LL.D.;  J.  S.  Jewell,  M.D.,  and  E.  L.  Holmes, 
M.D.,  and  Eev.  Drs.  Edwards,  Patterson,  Paddock, 
Crews,  Ninde,  Fallows,  Eeddj,  Jewett,  and  Rev.  Glen 
Wood,  and  also  the  articles  of  Joseph  Richardson,  M.D., 
and  Rev.  Dr.  Wentworth,  which,  though  not  specially 
prepared  for  this  volume,  are  valuable  contributions  to  it. 

To  all  these  writers  the  author  is  under  great  obliga- 
tions, and  hereby  expresses  his  most  sincere  thaifks. 

It  is  hoped  that  the  reader  will  learn  many  things  from 
these  original  articles,  as  well  as  from  the  selected  ones, 
in  relation  to  the  laws  of  health  and  life,  especially  in 
their  application  to  advanced  years;  and  that  they  will 
meet  many  practical  suggestions  which  will  help  them  to 
joyfully  finish  up  the  work  of  their  life,  so  that  the  later 
periods  of  life  may  prove  to  be  their  best  and  brightest 
ones,  and  they  at  last  "  come  to  their  graves  in  a  full  age, 
as  a  shock  of  corn  cometh  in  his  season." 

"  Fifty  Years  and  Beyond."  Fifty  years  is  life's  merid- 
ian. Then  cometh  Age,  Old  Age,  Death,  and  the  Great 
Beyond.  The  Author  employs  his  title  as  embracing  all 
these  periods  and  events,  and  the  reader  will  find  much  in 
relation  to  each  of  them. 

It  is  the  Author's  most  earnest  desire,  and  devout  prayer, 
that  all  the  readers  of  this  book  may  have  a  joyful  experi- 
ence of  the  Divine  presence  and  blessing  in  their  Age, 
Old  Age,  and  Dying,  and  then  passing  to  the  Great 
Beyond  may  receive  the  glorious  inheritance  embraced  in 
the  "Certainties,"  and  in  the  "Possibilities"  of  the 
redeemed  soul  in  heaven. 


INTRODUCTION 


"  A  solemn  murmur  in  the  soul 
Tells  of  the  world  to  be, — 
As  trav'lers  hear  the  billows  roll 
Before  they  reach  the  sea." 

Aging  and  dying  are  but  courses  of  IS'ature.  Physical 
maturity  and  decline  may  be  as  gentle  and  sweet  and 
grateful  as  the  sequence  of  blossom  and  fruit  and  harvest. 
The  world  is  but  a  womb  whence  we  are  born  into  a  perfect 
realm  whose  life  and  immortality  were  brought  to  light  by 
Him  who  vanquished  Death.  AVe  do  not  rest  in  the 
familiar  argument  that  univei-sal  human  longing  for  future 
being  "proves"  that  such  a  future  awaits  all  men.  We 
prefer  to  believe  that  that  longing  establishes  simply  a  pre- 
sumption that  man  may  live  again.  The  Christian  has 
better  proof.  The  man  who  has  been  quickened  into  the 
7iew  spiritual  life,  which  is  the  heritage  of  every  obedient 
soul,  has  a  downright,  unshakable  consciousness  that  di- 
Wnely  prepared  mansions  await  him  above.  Having  this 
liope,  we  purify  ourselves,  and  the  purilication  includes 
that  clear  vision  which  rewarded  Moses,  and  plants  a  glad 
mountain  of  transfiguration  beneath  the  feet  of  every  loyal 
pilgi'im. 

The  skeptic,  who  professionally  attacks  this  correct 
Christian  philosophy,  is  a  ruthless  warrior  against  man, 
and  society.  Eapine,  murder,  incendiarism,  slander,  and 
prostitution  of  childhood  are  not  more  pitiless.  Rational- 
jstic  death  is  a  failure  more  downright  only  tluui  ration- 


VIU  INTRODUCTION. 


alistie  life.  The  man  who  believes  he  happened  into 
being,  must  stagger  and  happen  along  through  physical 
maturity,  must  exist  on  moral  food  unguarded  by  even  the 
example  of  the  monkeys,  which  are  said  by  their  habits  to 
suggest  to  travelers  what  are  and  what  are  not  poisonous 
foods — and  then  "to  die  and  be  forgot,"  like  a  song-bird  or 
a  beast,  lacks  motive  for  this  world  and  light  upon  the  next. 
Tom  Hood  asks  for  another,  we  trust,  and  not  for  himself, 
when  he  says, 

"  What  can  an  old  man  do  but  die?  " 

If  there  is  on  record  no  answer  from  above  and  be^'ond, 
what  need  a  young  man  do  better  than  die  and  have  done 
with  the  perplexing  problem  and  the  unremunerative 
investment  ?  Little  wonder  that  in  countries  uncheered  by 
intelligeiit  Christianity  or  unrestrained  by  prohibitive 
Roman  Catholicism,  suicide  is  a  habit  and  a  joyful  release. 
Europe,  by  its  history  of  self-mui'der,  is  logical  and  sug- 
gestive. A  corresponding  history  is  being  interwoven  into 
our  American  life  in  proportion  as  these  foreign  rational- 
istic tendencies  are  being  imported.  In  heathen  lands  the 
aged  are  classed  with,  and  follow  to  neglect  and  death, 
worthless  female  children.  Christ's  gospel  exalts  the 
value  of  all  sexes  and  ages.  Christian  homes  welcome  the 
girl  babies  as  the  future  organizers  of  orderly  households, 
and  hoary  heads  are  honored,  as  crowns  are  guarded  for 
the  sake  of  their  jewels.  The  philosophy  of  a  godless 
death  is  the  basis  of  a  Christless  view  of  life. 

Books,  like  the  one  to  which  these  appreciative  lines 
are  an  introduction,  are  some  of  the  fruits  of  Christian 
.7ivilizati(jn.     A  loval  life  uostpofies  death  and  dela.ys  the 


INTRODUCTION.  IX 


coining  of  age.  AVe  come  not  into  life  for  the  sake  of 
going  out  of  it,  but  I'ather  to  do,  and  do  as  much  and  as 
long  as  possible,  before  we  die.  Easy  births  into  the 
world,  fruitful  lives,  and  intelligently  tranquil  births  out 
of  the  world,  are  direct  results  of  redemption  from  the 
curse  pronounced  in  Genesis.  Christian  science  and  the 
godly  physician  are  direct  gifts  of  rewardful  providence, 
and  among  the  '^  indirect  evidences  of  Christianity."  As 
far  as  the  world  is  concerned,  a  valuable  life  prolonged  is 
better  than  two  blighted  lives.  When,  therefore,  expe- 
rienced physicians,  like  Doctors  Davis,  Jewell,  Richardson 
and  Holmes,  identify  the  ordinary  causes  of  premature 
decay,  and  instruct  men  how  to  modify  and  measurably 
thwart  those  causes,  they  perform  a  service  second  only  to 
the  divinity  that  originally  gave  life.  Such  counsellors 
belong  to  the  grand  race  of  redeemers,  at  whose  head 
stands  the  perfect  man,  the  God-Christ.  The  devout 
physiologist,  whose  ministrations  enlarge  the  scope  of 
God's  workmen,  becomes  a  direct  partner  in  the  workmen's 
products,  and  becomes  a  veritable  evangel. 

This  book  illustrates  also  the  grand  services  of  men  who 
by  exclusive  devotion  give  their  lives  to  the  study  of  reve- 
lation, and  who  thereby  ascertain  quite  clearly  what  the 
Word  says  respecting  the  two  worlds.  They  have  dis- 
covered and  located  the  headlands  of  all  continents,  have 
traced  treacherous  currents  and  formulated  what  revelation 
teaches  concerning  the  mighty  trade-winds  of  life.  When, 
therefore,  the  barometer  of  hope  and  expectation  rises  and 
falls  perplexingly,  the  fleets  of  solicitous  humanity  may 
well  gather  about  these  confident  pilots,  and  receive  their 


INTRODUCTION. 


"courses  and  bearings."  We  do  not  say  that  these 
teachers  have  made  the  sea  and  its  dangers,  or  have  placed 
embargos  upon  ports  of  safety,  save  to  privileged  mariners. 
Let  all  that  pass  as  the  lies  of  men  who,  for  the  sake  of 
consciences  that  long  to  destroy  authority  and  murder 
responsibility,  cast  reproach  upon  the  counsels  of  men 
who  have  inquired  of  God.  Like  all  pilots,  they  study  the 
sea  as  they  find  it,  and  benefit  the  roving  navies  who  do 
not  know  all  that  which  is  so  familiar  to  those  who  study 
the  details  of  the  world's  harbors.  Moreover,  like  all 
human  analogies  that  relate  to  spiritual  things,  our  analogy 
must  fail,  since  the  beacons  that  guide  were  not  located  b}'- 
man.  Our  pilots  in  this  Christian  navigation  discovered 
the  light-houses  that  guide  and  guard  the  headlands  of 
heaven.  Their  blessed  flash-lights  drop  into  momentary 
eclipse  in  order  that  they  may  reward  and  more  intensely 
illumine  the  eye  of  him  who  devoutly  seeks  guidance  and 
illumination.  On  all  the  coasts  of  the  future  life  there  lie 
not  the  ribs  of  a  single  soul-ship  that  was  wrecked  in  its 
honest  effort  to  enter  the  inlets  of  heaven. 

Then,  too,  the  testimony  —  the  "testimonials" — of 
those  who  went  in  with  shouts  of  rejoicing !  They  are  a 
goodly  company,  and  those  we  love  were  enrolled  among 
the  heavenly  witnesses  before  they  vanished  from  our  long- 
ing sight.  Paul  was  inspired  to  write,  but  so  was  Wesley 
when  filled  by  the  same  spirit  of  God.  John  stood  on 
Patmos,  and  so  did  Hooper  Crews,  who  spake  as  he  was 
moved  by  the  Holy  Ghost  in  the  lines  which  have  been 
printed  since  that  saintly  writer  ascended.  It  may  be  that 
some  dying  persons  speak  of  visions  that  have  no  objective 


INTRODUCTION.  Xl 


reality  in  their  particular  cases.  The  concurrent  testimony, 
however,  of  the  ascending  host  of  redeemed  men  is  proof 
as  solid  and  actual  and  convincing  as  the  harmonious  ver- 
dict of  men  and  angels  named  in  Scripture.  The  formally 
untaught  habit  of  savages  who  reckon  in  simple  digits,  and 
the  cultured  nations  who  cypher  in  millions,  alike  testify 
to  the  fundamental  reality  and  accuracy  of  the  two  basal 
principles  in  mathematics.  The  angels  of  God  who  speak 
from  above  by  divine  inspiration,  and  the  redeemed  toilers 
of  earth  who  by  like  inspiration  have  learned  the  dialects 
of  heaven,  are  in  the  same  glorious  school,  and  "  speak 
with  one  voice"  the  irrefutable  fact  that  God  is  with  man. 
A  Christian  aging  man  or  woman  who  is  crossing  the 
equator  that  girts  the  middle  of  his  century  of  life,  is  in 
the  moral  autumnal  equinox  when  God,  his  sun,  is  directly 
overhead.  That  period  may  be  the  brightest,  lightest, 
blandest  year  of  his  life,  to  date.  As  the  years  thence- 
forth increase,  and  the  angle  of  illumination  changes, 


-an  old  age  serene  and  bright 


And  lovely  as  a  Lapland  night 
Shall  lead  thee  to  thy  grave." 

Then  will  follow  existence  in  a  clime  where  no  phy- 
sical orbit  will  alternately  banish  or  bring  the  sun,  and 
make  half  the  year  a  lightless  night.  The  laws  that  bind 
men  here  shall  surrender  to  their  Framer,  and  a  nightless 
existence  shall  reward  those  who  once  waited  in  sorrow  for 
the  morning.  The  Christian  never  dies.  Death  once  was 
conquerer — but  now,  as  Coleridge  so  beautifully  says,  on 
the  bed  where  a  Christian  expires, 

"  Tis  Death  itself  there  dies.'' 

AKTHUR  EDWARDS. 


CONTENTS. 


PASB. 

Hygieneof  Old  Age,  N.S.Davis,  M.D.,  LL.D.,       -           .           .  17 

Old  Age,  and  How  to  Meet  It,  Joseph  R.  Richardson,  M.D.,  -'  29 
Suggestions  in  Relation  to  the  Preservation  of  Nerve  and  Mental 

Health  in  the  Aged,  J.  S.  Jewell,  M.D.,  -  -  -  36 
Suggestions  as  to  the  Proper  Treatment   of  the  Eye   and  Ear  of 

Persons  who  are  Fifty  and  Beyond,  E.  L.  Holmes,  M.D.,  -  S3 
The  Preservation  of  Mental  Vigor  in  Advanced  Life,  Rev.   R.  W. 

Patterson,  D.D.,     -------  65 

Mental  Energy  in  Old  Age,           -           -           -           -  78 

Christian  Men  and  their  Work  at  Fifty  and  Beyond,  Rev.  Glen 

Wood, 82 

From  Cicero's  Essay  on  Old  Age,   -----  96 

The  Glories  of  Old  Age,  Rev.  J.  B.  Wentworth,  D.D.,  -  -  108 
The    Divine    Presence — the    Joy  and   Strength   of  the    Believer, 

Rev.  William  Jay,        ------  136 

The  Lord  is  My  Strength  and  My  Song,  Talmage,              -            -  140 

Simplicity  and  Long  Life,              -            .            .            .            .  144 

An  Old  Man, 146 

Excitement  and  Short  Life,            -            -            -            =            .  147 

Don't  Waste  Vital  Energy,      -            -            -           -            -            -  148 

Rest  for  the  Aged,             -           -           -           -           -           -  149 

The  Two  Strong  Arms,            -            -            -            -            -            -  150 

Bread  Cast  Upon  the  Waters,        .            .            =            .            -  151 

Beyond  Comprehension,  Bishop  Janes,           ...            -  155 

Autumn,  Rev.  Archibald  Allison,  -            -            -            =            -  157 

The  Summer  is  Ended,  Talmage,        .....  159 

Divine  Promises  to  the  Aged,         .....  igi 

Be  Kind  to  the  Living,            ......  162 

The  Alabaster  Box;  The  Old  Man's  Prayer,        -            -            -  164 

True  Philanthropy;  Recipe  for  a  Long  Life,               ....  155 

Trust  in  God,           ....            •           -           -  166 

19 


CONTENTS.  Xlll 


PAGE. 

Psalm  84: 11,      -  -  - 168 

Remedies  for  Anxiety,         ......  169 

Borrowinsr  Trouble,       ..-.-.-  171 
Never  Give  Way  to  Melancholy,  Sidney  Smith;  Banish  Forebod- 
ings, Rev.  F.   Whitefield;    An  Old  Man's  Experience;     Mat- 
thew 10:  29-31.             172 

Deacon  Lee's  Experience,         ...--.  173 

A  Kind  Word  for  the  Aged,  Rev.  J.  P.  Newman,  D.D.,  -  178 

Everlasting  Youth,  Rev.  Edmund  H.  Sears,  -  -  -  -  179 

Beautiful  Extract;  Proverbs  3:  13-16,       -  -  -  -  184 

Effects    of   Religion    in    Old    Age    and    in    Adversity,     William 

Wilberforce, 185 

Gems,  ........  186 

The  Consolations  of  Age,  From  the  German,  -  -  -  187 

Old  Age.  From  the  "Path  of  Life,"         -  -  -  -  191 

Old  Age.  Emily  F.  Cross, 195 

Grandfather's  Reverie,  Theodore  Parker,  -  -  -  196 

Longevity  and  a  Sweet  Temper;  Piety  and  Long  Life,  -  -  198 

A  Good  Old  Age, 199 

Psalm  37:  37, 200 

A  Beautiful  Thought,  ......  201 

Sweet  Old  Age, 203 

The  Beauty  of  Old  People, 204 

Seasons  of  Life;  Proverbs  10:  2,  -  -  -  .  -  205 

The  Aged  Lover, 206 

"They  tell  Me  I'm  Growing  Old,"  Dr.  Guthrie,        -  -  -  207 

Birthday  Testimonies,  Mrs.  Eastman,        ....  208 

Sixty-Two, =  .  299 

The  Beauty  of  Old  People,  Brumacher,     .  -  -  .  211 

A  Good  Old  Man,  Bishop  Earl;  The  Grandeur  of  Old  Age.  Tal- 

mage, 212 

God  Cares,     .  -  -  .  ■  -  -  -  213 

Psalm  40:  17;  Hebrews  13:5,   -  .  .  -  .  .214 

The  Refiner  of  S'lver, 215 

A  Beautiful  Thought,     -...-..  210 

Christ  is  All  in  All,  Talmage, 217 

Job  5:  19, 218 

An  Address    to    Christians  of   Fifty  and   Beyond,    Rev.   Hooper 

Crews,  D.D.,      ...                        -            -            -  219 
A  Letter  to  Unconverted  Persons  of  Fifty  or  More.  Rev.  Z.   Pad- 
dock. D.D., -            -  232 


XIV  CONTENTS. 


Characteristics  which  Adorn  Old  Age,  Rev.  W.  X.  Ninde,  D.D.,  239 

Thoughts  on  ImmortaUty,  Rt.-Rev.  Samuel  Fallows,  D.D.,  -  -  251 
The  Certainties  of  the  Redeemed  in      e  Heavenly  World,   Rev. 

W.  Reddy,  D.D., 266 

Possibilities  of  a  Redeemed   Soul  in  the  Future  Life,   Rev.  S.  A. 

W.  Jewett,  D.D., 283 

"These  all  Died  in  Faith,"  Rev.  J.  B.Foote,       -           -           -   •  292 

THE  SAINTS  DIE  WELL. 

A  Happy  Old  Age  and  a  Triumphant  Death — Rev.  Benjamin  G. 

Paddock, 300 

John  Wesley's  Old  Age  and  Death,           ....  303 

Payson's  Joyful  Experiences  and  Triumphant  Death,            -            -  305 

The  Best  of  All, 810 

Bishop  Haven's  Last  Hours,      ......  312 

Sorrow  for  the  Dead,            -.-..-  314 

Dying  Words,     -..-....  315 

Undivided  in  Death;  The  Old  Man  of  Dartmoor,          -           -  316 

Death  of  Mrs.  Rev.  Benjamin  G.  Paddock,      -           -            -           -  318 

Death  of  Rev.  William  H.  Paddock,           ....  319 

Death  of  Madison  F.  Myers,     -            ...            -  320 

Toplady's  Death,      - 321 

Bishop  Morris'  Death, 322 

THE  GREAT  BEYOND. 

Victor  Hugo  on  Immortality;           -----  323 

The  Glory  Beyond,  Rev.  H.  W.  Beecher,                    -            -           -  325 

It  Doth  Not  yet  Appear  What  we  Shall  Be,  Rev.  John  Ker,  D.D.,  326 

Shall  We  Meet  Again, 328 

Preparation  for  Heaven,  Rev.  Robert  Hall,     •       '    -           -           -  330 

Recognition  after  Death,  Dean  Alford,      ....  331 

The  Soul's  Capacity  for  Growth,           ....           -  333 

A  Happy  Future,  Alexander  McLaren,  -  -  -  -  335 
Extracts  from  Pavson's  Works: — 

No  Night  in  Heaven, 336 

And  the  Lamb  is  the  Light  Thereof,    -           .  337 

The  New  Jerusalem  and  its  Inhabitants,              .           .           -  339 

A  Thousand  Years  as  One  Day,           ....  340 

Heaven;  Figures  of,  Dr  Beaumont,    -            .           .           -           .  341 

Heaven;  A  Home,  Thomas  Guthrie,          ....  343 

^' There  Shall  be  No  Pain  There," 844 


CONTENTS.  XV 


SHORT  GEMS,  ANECDOTES,  ETC. 

MISCELLANEOUS. 

PAGE. 

Brilliant  Preaching,              ......  ^45 

A  Good  Sermon,            .......  346 

Not  Remembered,  yet  Not  Lost,     .            -            -            -            -  347 

A  Gentleman  Riding  in  Scotland;  Jesus  All  in  All,  -            -            -  348 

The  Secret  of  Happiness,    -..-.-  349 

Haydn's  Joyful  Music;  A  Cheerful  Way;  The  Right  Motive,           -  350 

Voltaire  versus  Paul;  Living  and  Dying;  Trmmphs  of  Faith,     -  351 
The  Faithful  Discharge  of  Duty;  A  Learned  Divine  and  a  Simple 

Hearted  Christian ;  The  Christian  a  Royal  Personage,              -  352 

The  Value  of  a  Spiritual  Good;  The  Bible  Judged  by  Its  Fruits,  353 

Chesterfield's  Answer  to  an  Infidel  Lady;  Object  of  Life,     -            -  354 
What    is   Wanting;    Only  One   Day  at  a    Time;    The  Promised 

Strength, 355 

A  Happy  Religion;  Blameless,  not  Faultless,             -            -           -  356 

Both  Sides, 357 

All  for  the  Best, 358 

"  Sitting  Under  His  Shadow;"    "Whom  Resist,  Steadfast  in  the 

Faith," 359 

Daniel  Webster;    Christianity;    A  Lady  and  a  Close-Fisted    Pro- 
fessor,           ........  3G0 

God  Our  Father;  Trials  and  Sufficient  Grace;  Scripture  Names  of 
Christians;    How  True;    The  Christian — What  He  Should  Be; 

From  Thomas  a  Kempis,           .....  361 

Our  Religion;  True  Religion;  If  the  Sun  has  Gone  Down;  Christ 
is  a  Flower;  The  Work  that  is  to  Tell  in  Heaven;    The  Good 

Man's  Glory, 363 

OF  THE  AGED. 
Cheerfulness  in  Old  Age,      -.--..  363 

Rev.  Daniel  Waldo;  Age  Lays  Open  the  Character;  A  Courteous 

Clergyman ;  Old  Age  Alleviated,  ....    364 

Selfishness  Rebuked;  Faithfulness  in  Old  Age;    Dr.  Priestly;  The, 

Christian  Old  Man,        - 365 

Christ  the  Stay  of  the  Aged;    Jesus,    -  -  -  -  .     366 

A  Beautiful  Figure;  A  Good  Woman  Never  Grows  Old,  -  367 

Happiness  of  Old  Age;    Usefulness   of  Old   Age;     Prayer,    John 

Quincy  Adams,        .......    368 

Old  Age  without  Religion;  Duties  of  the  Aged,  -  -  -  369 


XVI  CONTENTS. 


,  PAGE. 

The  Young  to  take  Our  Places;  Hopeful  Old  Age;    On  the  Bright 

Side  of  Seventy,      -            -            -            -            -            .            -  370 

The  Christian's  Legacy;    Jesus  in  Old  Age;    Hopeless  Old  Age,  371 

Getting  Nearer  to  Christ;  Vigorous  Old  Age;  Old  Age— Winter,  372 

Second  Childhood;  At  Eventide  it  shall  be  Light,            -            -  373 

After  Many  Days;  John  Wesley  and  John  Keble,      -            -            -  374 
Age;    A  Thoughtful  Provision  for  the  Aged;   An  Aged  Christian 

in  a  Poor-House,            --....  375 

Growing  Old;  Old  Age,  Victor  Hugo,             ....  37(5 

An  Aged  Christian;  Comfort  in  Old  Age;  Bringing  Forth  Fruit  in 

Old  Age,           ......  377 

A  Peasant  on  the  Welch  Mountain;  Computing  Age,           -            -  378 

Approach  of  Age;  Glorious  Old  Age,         ....  379 

OF  DYING. 

I'he  Great  Mystery,       -           -           -           -           -           .           -  380 
The  Dying  Christian  at  the  Last  Summit  of  Life;  Dr.  Sewall,  of 

Washington,      ------.  381 

Senator  Foote,  of  Vermont;   Death;    Abderrohman,  Caliph  of  Car- 

dova,            -            -            -            .            -            -            -            -  382 
"  I  want  to  Talk  with  You  of  Heaven;"    Happiness  in  Death;    Dr. 

Duff, 383 

Crowning  Christ;    Rev.  Dr.  McClintock,        -           -            -            -  384 

Father  Taylor's  Death;  Readiness  for  Death,        -            -            •  385 

RoU-Call  in  Heaven;  A  Sister  of  Charity;  Death-- Health,              -  386 

Cromwell's  Last  Hours;  An  Italian  Epitaph,        -            -            -  387 

Dr.  Alexander  Dull';  Left  $30,000,       -            -            -            -            -  388 

A  Wife's  Convoy;  Mrs.  Rev.  Henry  Pope,             -            -            -  389 
A    Prayer;     Dr.    Noah  Webster;    "It  is  not  Darkness;"    In  the 

Land  of  the  Living,            ......  390 

The    Day   Before  Death;     Death    to    the  Christian— A   Glorious 

Change;    "  An  Old  Clergyman  Said;"     It  is  all  Rest;     Wel- 

mot,  the  Infidel,            ......  391 

OF  THE  BETTER  LIFE  BEYOND. 

Compensations  of  Heaven;  Heaven— Fitness  for,      -            -            -  393 

In  the  Twinkling  of  an  Eye;  Heaven,       ....  393 

Heaven  a  City;    Eternity;  Three  Wonders,     -            -            -            -  394 

The  Homes  of  the  Immortal;  No  Death  in  Heaven;  Heaven  Our 

Home.    -------.  395 

The  Saints'  Glorious  Home  and  Life  in  Heaven,        -           -           -  396 


HYGIENE  OF  OLD  AGE. 


K  S.  Davis,  M.D.,  LL.  D. 

Professob  of  the  Principles  and  Practice  of  Medicine  in  the  Chicago  Medicai 
College — Medical  Department  of  the  North-Western  University. 


EAKNED  writers  have  expressed  widely  dif- 
ferent opinions  concerning  the  natural  dura- 
tion of  human  life.  While  the  great  majority 
have  adopted  the  patriarch's  limit  of  three 
score  and  ten  years;  Hufeland  has  claimed  it  to  be  two 
hundred  years,  and  others  have  fixed  upon  periods  varying 
from  one  hundred,  to  one  hundred  and  fifty.  The  truth 
is,  there  is  no  natural  period  common  to  all  individuals. 
On  the  contrary,  some  show  all  the  marks  of  age  in  a 
more  decided  degree  at  forty  than  others  do  at  sixty.  The 
greatest  age  attained  by  any  individual  in  modern  times  is 
one  hundred  and  sixty-nine  years ;  while  the  youngest  old 
man  on  record,  was  Louis  II.,  king  of  Hungary,  who  was 
crowned  when  two  years  old,  succeeded  to  the  throne  in 
his  tenth  year,  was  married  in  his  fifteenth,  and  died,  worn 
out  and  gray,  before  he  had  completed  his  twentieth  year. 
Thomas  Parr,  an  English  peasant,  lived  to  the  age  of  one 
Imndred  and  fifty-two  years.  Draakenberg,  a  Dane,  lived 
one  hundred  and  forty-six  years.  Efiingham,  of  Cornwall, 
one  hundre^i  and  forty-four;  and  Stravarides,  a  Greek,  on© 

17 


18  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

hundred  and  thirty-two  years.  These  cases  are  sufficient 
to  show  the  possible,  not  the  probable,  duration  of  human 
life.  On  the  contrary,  reliable  records  of  mortality  show, 
that  of  all  persons  born  in  civilized  countries,  nearly  one- 
half  die  in  infancy,  or  before  they  have  completed  the  third 
year  of  life;  and  at  least  one- third  of  the  remainder  die 
before  they  reach  twenty-one ;  and  only  an  average  of  six 
or  seven  per  cent,  of  the  whole  number  live  to  sixty  years 
or  over.  It  is  no  part  of  my  present  purpose,  however,  to 
discuss  the  general  subject  of  the  duration  of  human  life ; 
but  simply  to  present,  in  as  brief  and  simple  a  manner  as 
possible,  some  thoughts  on  the  best  means  of  preserving 
health,  mental  and  physical,  in  old  age. 

The  duration  of  human  life  is  generally  divided  into  five 
periods,  viz :  infancy^  from  birth  to  the  completion  of  the 
third  year ;  childhood^  from  three  to  fifteen ;  youth.,  from 
fifteen  to  twenty  ;  manhood.^  from  twenty  to  sixty  ;  and  old 
age.,  from  sixty  years  to  the  end  of  life. 

These  divisions  are  more  or  less  arbitrary,  especially 
that  between  manhood  and  old  age ;  as  some  present  all 
the  appearances  attributed  to  age,  both  physical  and 
mental,  at  a  much  earlier  period  than  others.  The  earliest 
physical  indications  of  commencing  old  age,  are,  a  change 
in  the  color  of  the  hair,  a  lengthening  of  the  axis  of  vision, 
a  wrinkling  of  the  skin,  and  in  most  men,  some  degree  of 
hypertrophy  or  enlargement  of  the  prostate  gland,  causing 
more  or  lesa  difficulty  or  embarrassment  in  the  discharge 
of  urine. 

A  few  years  later,  and  the  step  is  less  elastic ;  the  bodv 


HYGIENE  OF  OLL  AGE.  Id 

less  erect ;  tlie  skin  not  only  wrinkled,  but  marked  with 
brown  spots,  especially  on  the  extremities ;  the  hearing, 
less  acute ;  memory  less  retentive  ;  cartilages  of  the  ribs 
completely  ossified ;  urine  charged  with  an  excess  of  lithic 
acid  salts,  and  voided  with  more  difficulty,  and  the  mind 
less  active  and  efficient  in  its  attention  to  the  problems  and 
duties  of  life.  Most  of  these  and  other  changes  character- 
istic of  old  age  are  the  direct  result  of  impairment  of  the 
functions  of  nutrition  and  respiration.  During  early  child- 
hood and  youth  all  the  processes  taking  place  in  the  living 
body  are  performed  more  rapidly  than  in  middle  life  or  old 
age.  Respiration,  circulation,  secretion,  and  nutrition  are 
all  carried  on  more  rapidly,  and  the  results  of  nutrition 
predominate  over  those  of  disintegration  and  waste.  In 
middle  or  adult  life,  these  processes  are  regarded  as  equal- 
ing or  balancing  each  other.  Yet  during  all  this  active 
period,  certain  changes  are  slowly  but  steadily  taking  place, 
that  sooner  or  later  develop  the  characteristics  of  old  age. 
Prominent  among  these  are  the  gradual  conversion  of  the 
cartilages  of  the  ribs  into  bony  structure,  thereby  lessening 
the  expansion  of  the  chest  in  respiration,  the  moderate 
diminution  of  frequency  in  the  action  of  the  heart,  and  the 
lessening  of  nervous  sensibility.  It  is  from  a  certain  stage 
in  the  progress  of  these  changes  that  tlie  phenomena  of 
old  age  are  presented  as  distinct  from  the  symptoms  of  dis- 
ease. Hence,  whatever  increases  the  rapidity  of  these 
changes  hastens  on  the  period  of  old  age.  Among  the 
more  efficient  causes  acting  in  this  direction,  are  mental 
anxiety  with  depressing  mental  emotions ;  deficient  physi- 


40  FIFTY  YEAns  AND  BEYOND. 

cal  exercise  in  the  open  air ;  deficient  intellectual  and  moral 
activity,  with  undue  indulgence  of  the  mere  animal  passions 
and  propensities;  and  the  habitual  use  of  such  agents  as 
alcoholic  drinks,  tobacco,  opiates,  or  other  articles  capable 
of  modifying  the  properties  of  living  structures  or  slowly 
impairing  the  nervous  and  respiratory  functions.  As  a 
general  rule,  just  in  proportion  as  one  or  more  of  these 
causes  are  brought  to  bear  upon  the  individual  during  the 
middle  or  adult  period  of  life,  in  the  same  proportion  will 
life  be  shortened  either  by  the  supervention  of  disease  or 
the  early  appearance  of  old  age.  There  is  one  modifying 
circumstance,  however,  that  should  not  be  overlooked  ;  and 
that  is  hereditary  influence.  That  some  families  are  long- 
lived  and  others  the  reverse,  is  a  fact  familiar  from  com- 
mon observation.  That  most  eminent  observer,  Dr.  Ben- 
jamin Rush,  has  said  that  he  never  had  met  a  person  over 
eighty  whose  ancestors  were  not  long-lived.  And  yet  it 
should  be  ever  kept  in  mind,  that  no  vigor  or  tenacity  of 
life  inherited  from  ancestry  can  long  resist  impairment 
from  the  causes  I  have  mentioned,  especially  if  they  are 
brought  to  bear  during  the  early  and  middle  periods  of 
adult  life.  Dr.  Hufeland  has  well  remarked  that  "we  are 
continually  surrounded  by  the  friends  and  enemies  of  life ; 
he  who  keeps  company  with  its  friends  will  become  old,  but 
he  who  prefers  its  enemies  will  shorten  his  existence." 
Among  the  special /r^Vn6?cS of  human  life  maybe  regarded, 
a  fair  variety  of  plain  food,  plenty  of  fresh  pure  air  and 
good  water ;  habitually  active  physical  exercise  in  the  open 
air ;  intellectual  and  moral  activity ;  and  a  cheerful  buoy- 


HYGIENE  OF  OLD  AGE.  21 

ant  temper.  Whoever  keeps  close  company  with  these 
throughout  the  periods  of  youth  and  middle  age,  will  both 
postpone  the  coming  of  old  age  and  render  it  vigorous  and 
happy  when  it  does  come.  But  the  question  assigned  for 
consideration  in  this  chapter  is,  not  how  to  postpone  the 
coming  of  old  age  so  much  as  to  point  out  the  means  for 
preserving  its  vigor,  cheerfulness,  and  usefulness  after  it 
lias  come. 

And  yet  it  would  probably  be  impossible  to  answer  this 
question  better  than  by  saj-ing  the  aged  should  adhere 
closely  to  what  we  have  just  termed  the  special  friends  of 
life.  That  a  fair  variety  of  plain  well-cooked  food,  plenty 
of  fresh  pure  air  and  good  water,  are  necessary  for  the 
preservation  of  health  at  all  periods  of  human  life  will  be 
admitted  by  all.  That  the  aged  should  have  active  physi- 
cal exercise  in  the  open  air  daily,  will  not  be  so  generally 
admitted.  Most  persons  in  the  early  and  middle  jDeriods 
of  life  look  upon  old  age  as  the  period  of  rest  or  inactivity. 
And  not  a  few  who  make  haste  to  be  rich,  do  so,  with  spe- 
cial reference  to  an  early  retirement  from  the  active  duties 
of  life,  and  the  supposed  enjoyment  of  ease  and  leisure. 
This  view  leads  to  several  evils  of  a  serious  character. 
First,  it  induces  many  to  devote  their  time  and  energies, 
mental  and  physical,  so  continuously  to  their  business  that 
they  leave  no  part  of  the  day  for  rest  or  diversion,  and  not 
enough  of  the  night  for  needed  sleep,  and  hence  engender 
disease,  and  often  death,  before  arriving  at  the  beginning 
of  the  period  designated  old  age.  Second,  it  encourages 
others  to  leave  the  more  steady  and  safe  occupations  and 


22        FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 


modes  of  business  for  the  more  uncertain  and  purely  spec- 
ulative enterprises,  involving  anxieties  proportionate  to  the 
risks  incurred.  And  of  all  the  mental  states,  that  called 
anxiety.,  is  the  most  injurious  to  health  and  longevity. 
Third,  it  induces  many  who  have,  by  twenty  or  thirty  years 
of  active  mental  and  physical  toil,  acquired  a  good  reputa- 
*;ion  or  ample  fortune,  or  both,  on  completing  their  three- 
score of  years,  to  retire  from  all  active  business  or  duties 
under  the  idea  that  absence  of  occupation  is  rest.  This  is 
not  only  a  mistake,  but  one  that  is  generally  followed  by 
evils  ol  much  importance.  If  the  previous  course  of  life 
has  been  such  as  to  involve  active  out-door  exercise  with 
its  accompanying  activity  of  nutrition  and  waste,  the  sud- 
den change  to  a  more  quiet  or  passive  physical  condition, 
is  pretty  certain  to  be  followed  by  less  activity  in  the  func- 
tion of  the  lungs,  skin,  and  kidneys,  leaving  the  blood  with 
a  diminished  supply  of  oxygen  and  an  excess  of  the  pro- 
ducts of  waste.  This  state  of  the  blood  is  soon  followed 
by  a  lowering  down  or  retarding  of  all  the  functions  of 
physical  life.  The  atomic  or  molecular  changes  by  which 
the  various  tissues  are  renewed,  take  place  more  slowly, 
thereby  favoring  atheromatous  or  fatty  and  calcareous  degen- 
erations, especially  in  the  heart,  vessels  of  the  brain,  kidneys 
and  denser  fibrous  tissues,  such  as  ligaments,  cartilages,  etc. 
Hence  all  the  physical  evils  of  old  age  accumulate  more  rap- 
idly, and  life  is  shortened  instead  of  being  prolonged  by  the 
change.  On  the  other  hand,  if  the  previous  course  of  life 
has  been  chiefly  characterized  by  mental  activity,  either  in 
busiAess'  or  professional  pursuits  involving   interests  and 


HYGIENE  OF  OLD  AGE.  23 

responsibiliities  of  importance,  the  complete  change  of 
mental  habit  occasioned  bj  retirement  is  extremely  apt  to 
be  followed  in  a  little  time  by  despondency,  forebodings  of 
evil,  either  in  coming  poverty,  uselessness  of  life,  or  suspi- 
ciousness of  friends  or  family;  or  more  rarely  in  a  rapidly 
developed  "good-natured  childishness.  "WTiile  all  these  evils 
are  liable  to  result  from  a  positive  retirement  from  active 
mental  and  physical  occupation  on  the  supervention  of  old 
age,  a  directly  opposite  course  may  be  equally,  or  even 
more  speedily,  disastrous.  To  keep  up  the  full  tension  of 
mental  and  physical  pursuits  after  the  vigor  of  adult  life 
has  begun  to  decline,  is  always  dangerous.  Yet  many  not 
only  do  this,  but  enter  upon  new  schemes  involving  greater 
responsibilities,  and  reaching  forward  through  many  years 
for  their  accomplishment,  as  though  they  were  unconscious 
of  the  fact  that  human  life  had  any  natural  limit  so  far  as 
regards  our  temporal  existence.  Consequently,  when  the 
infirmities  of  age  are  daily  increasing,  and  lessening  both 
their  activity  and  endurance,  their  business  cares  and 
responsibilities  are  becoming  more  extended  and  burden- 
some, ending  generally  in  a  premature  failure  of  health, 
and  not  unfrequently  in  sudden  death. 

Another  important  error,  which  is  by  no  means  limited 
to  old  age,  is  that  of  practically  regarding  health  as  some- 
thing capable  of  being  stored  up  during  periods  of  recrea- 
tion, as  we  store  up  fuel  or  provisions,  to  be  drawn  upon 
as  needed  for  the  rest  of  the  year. 

So  true  is  this,  that  to  deliberately  overtask  either 
mental  or  physical  resources  for  nine,  ten,  or  eleven  months> 


24  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 


of  the  year  with  a  view  of  restoring  the  loss  in  one,  two, 
or  three  months  of  rest  or  recreation,  has  become  a  general 
custom  in  modern  society.  It  is  hardly  necessary  to  state 
that  health  is  not  a  commodity  to  be  measured  or  weighed, 
but  simply  a  condition  of  living  structures  resulting  from 
a  nicely  adjusted  balance  between  opposing  forces.  One 
set  of  these  forces  operate  constantly  in  the  direction  of 
support  and  repair,  while  the  other  as  constantly  tend  to 
disintegration  and  waste.  If  the  habits,  duties  or  respon- 
sibilities of  life  are  so  adjusted  as  to  give  either  of  these 
forces  a  predominance  over  the  other,  the  health  will  be 
impaired.  There  is  consequently  no  such  thing  as  a  sur- 
plus of  health ;  and  whoever  habitually  subjects  himself  to 
the  influences  or  forces  of  waste  in  excess,  will  And  tem- 
porary periods  of  rest  and  recreation  only  an  imperfect 
means  of  permanently  preserving  health.  Tliis  will  be 
found  more  noticeable  in  regard  to  the  aged  than  the 
young.  Neither  can  the  use  of  such  agents  as  are  capable 
of  retarding  molecular  changes  and  thereby  lessening  the 
amount  of  waste  in  a  given  time,  be  regarded  as  equiva- 
lent to  the  assimilation  of  an  equal  amount  of  new  matter, 
as  has  been  claimed  by  some  writers.  For  instance,  it  is 
well-known  among  scientific  investigators,  that  alcohol  as 
it  exists  in  beer,  ale,  wine,  whisky,  etc.,  when  taken  into 
the  human  system,  directly  lessens  or  retards  the  molecu- 
lar changes  in  the  tissues  to  such  an  extent  as  to  diminish 
the  sum  total  of  the  excretions  in  a  given  time,  and  espe- 
cially the  excretion  of  carbonic  acid  gas  from  the  lungs. 
This  capacity  to  retard  molecular  changes  has  been  given 


HYGIENE  OF  OLD  AGE.  25 

as  a  reason  for  the  use  of  fermented  and  distilled  drinks  to 
lessen  the  injurious  effects  of  excessive  labor,  whether 
mental  or  physical.  It  being  claimed  that  to  retard  waste 
is  equivalent  to  nutrition  with  new  matter.  Dr.  Ham- 
mond states  the  proposition  substantially  as  follows :  If  a 
man,  at  his  daily  labor,  loses  by  waste  of  tissues  one 
pound,  he  must  have  one  pound  of  food  to  supply  the  loss. 
But  if  by  taking  a  certain  amount  of  alcohol  in  the  form  of 
beer,  wine,  or  whisky,  the  tissue  changes  are  so  retarded 
that  in  the  same  length  of  time,  he  loses  only  half  a 
pound,  he  will  need  but  half  a  pound  of  food  to  supjily  the 
deficiency.  Hence  he  calls  the  alcohol  indirect  food.  This 
supposed  power  of  alcoholic  drinks  to  retard  waste,  coupled 
with  their  anaesthetic  influence  in  lessening  nerve  sensibil- 
ity, and  consequently  unpleasant  sensations  of  any  kind, 
has  led,  and  is  still  leading,  large  numbers  in  all  ranks  of 
society  to  their  use.  Indeed,  one  writer,  with  more  poetic 
fancy  than  scientific  knowledge,  has  called  wine  "the  milk 
of  age."  Yet  no  more  mischievous  error  has  been  pro- 
mulgated in  modern  times,  or  one  in  more  direct  conflict 
with  known  and  recognized  physiological  laws,  than  that 
to  retard  molecular  changes  in  living  tissues  is  in  any  sense 
a  proper  substitute  for  nutrition  b}^  the  supply  of  new  mat- 
ter. There  is  no  more  obvious  law  of  nature  than  that  all 
active  life  involves  atomic  change.  Every  living  atom  or 
cell  is  adapted  to  the  filling  of  a  definite  purpose,  and  to 
disintegrate  and  disappear  in  the  fulfillment  of  that  pur- 
pose. If  by  any  process  the  function  is  performed  and 
the  change  prevented,  the  atoms  retained  thereby,  tend 


26  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

directly  to  degenerate  and  become  sources  of  embarrass- 
ment instead  of  preservers  of  health. 

In  strict  consonance  with  this  law,  all  experience  has 
proved  that  the  alcoholic  retarders  of  tissue  change  tend 
strongly  to  promote  :  first,  accumulation  of  inert  fat;  second, 
the  metamorphosis  or  degeneration  of  muscular,  nervous, 
secretory  and  connective  tissues  into  atheromatous  or  fatty 
structures,  with  corresponding  enfeeblement  of  function. 
Hence,  instead  of  calling  such  agents  "indirect  food,"  they 
should  be  called  retarders  of  life.  And  in  old  age,  when 
the  natural  tendency  is  to  lessen  the  motion  of  the  chest  in 
respiration,  and  to  slowness  in  both  nutritive  and  disinte- 
grative changes,  the  use  of  such  agents  is  particularly 
injurious.  "Without  further  notice  of  popular  errors 
I  will  close  this  chapter  with  the  following  brief  proposi- 
tions: 

1st.  A  person  entering  upon  the  period  of  old  age 
should  avoid,  as  far  as  possible,  all  sudden  and  extreme 
changes  in  occupation  or  modes  of  life.  He  should  more 
especially  avoid  engaging  in  new  and  important  enterprises 
on  the  one  hand,  or  on  the  other,  passing  suddenly  from 
full  employment,  mental  or  physical,  to  entire  inactivity  or 
retirement  from  business.  Rather  let  the  number  of  hours 
devoted  to  labor  be  gradually  lessened,  and  the  anxieties 
of  business  lightened  in  j)roportion  as  the  infirmities  of  age 
accumulate. 

2d.  As  far  as  possible  let  the  declining  years  and 
increasing  infirmities  of  age,  be  cheered  by  frequent  con- 
tact with  the  buoyant  cheerfulness  of  children,  and  the 


HYGIENE  OF  OLD  AGE.  27 

kindly  deference  and  sympathy  of  all  in  the  family  and 
social  circle. 

3d,  While  the  aged  should  continue  mental  and  physical 
employment  enough  to  furnish  healthful  exercise  and  pre- 
vent the  unhappy  and  deteriorating  effects  of  mental  ennui 
and  physical  inaction,  they  should  be  very  careful  to  avoid 
severe  and  protracted  exercise  of  any  kind.  A  large  pro- 
portion of  the  deaths  in  old  age  are  caused  by  pneumonia 
and  paralysis,  both  of  which  are  very  apt  to  be  induced,  in 
advanced  life,  either  by  sudden  and  severe  exertion  or  pro- 
tracted mental  application. 

4th,  As  diminution  in  the  activity  of  the  molecular 
changes  and  the  process  of  elimination,  are  natural  accom- 
paniments of  age,  occasioning  most  of  the  infirmities  of 
that  period  of  life,  the  habitual  use  of  all  such  articles  or 
agents  as  tend  still  further  to  promote  such  diminution 
should  be  carefully  avoided.  This  excludes  all  use  of  the 
alcoholic  preparations,  whether  fermented  or  distilled, 
together  with  opiates  and  tobacco.  Many  years  of  obser- 
vation concerning  all  classes  of  human  society,  have  fully 
satisfied  me  that  the  use  of  -any  of  these  agents,  however 
moderately,  impairs  those  functions  and  favors  those  slow 
degenerations  of  structure,  that  invariably  shorten  the 
duration  of  human  life.  A  moderate  use  of  tea  and  coffee 
in  connection  with  the  taking  of  food,  is  not  objectionable 
in  old  age.  In  advanced  life,  more  care  should  be  exer- 
cised in  maintaining  warmth,  and  protecting  against  sud- 
den and  severe  atmospheric  changes,  by  suitable  clothing 
^nd  regularity  of  all  domestig  habits, 


28  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

5tii.  Finally,  nothing  will  contribute  more  towards  pro- 
tracting the  period  of  old  age  and  rendering  it  healtlij,  than 
the  possession  of  a  contented,  cheerful,  and  hopeful  state 
of  mind.  And  nothing  is  so  certain  to  develop  this  as  a 
life  well  spent  in  useful  work,  coupled  with  that  serene 
hopefulness  in  a  future  life,  which  a  full  faith  in  tlie  Chris 
tian  religion  alone  inspires.  To  see  an  aged  man  or  woman, 
buoyant  and  cheerful  over  the  memories  of  a  virtuous  and 
industrious  life,  and  not  only  calm  and  serene,  but  joj^ous 
with  the  hope  of  a  happy  future  near  at  hand,  is  one  of  the 
most  interesting  spectacles  that  can  be  presented  to  an 
intelligent  mind. 


OLD  AGE  AND  HOW  TO  MEET  IT; 

Joseph  R.  Kichardson,  M.  D. 

Professor  of  Hygiene  in  the  University  of  Pennsylvania. 


'T  HAS  been  a  matter  of  surprise  to  thinking 
men  in  all  ages  of  the  world,  that  the  ap- 
proach of  death  should  be  shrunk  from  by 
rj^^^^'^,  old  people  almost  as  shudderinglj  as  by  those 
in  youth,  or  in  the  prime  of  life.  Such,  however,  as  every- 
day experience  teaches  us,  is  not  infrequently  the  case,  and 
a  large  majority  of  mankind  hold  the  same  view  as  that 
entertained  by  the  aged  but  witty  Frenchwoman,  who  sent 
for  her  physician,  on  one  occasion,  and,  in  reply  to  her  cat- 
alogue of  ills,  was  met  by  the  exclamation,  "What  would 
you  have,  Madame?  I  cannot  make  you  young  again!" 
"I  know  that,  Doctor,"  answered  she.  "What  I  want 
you  to  do  is  to  help  ine  to  grow  old  a  while  longer. ''"' 

For  the  purpose  of  aiding  my  elderly  readers  who  are 
not  yet  tired  of  life,  and  who  desire  to  grow  old  comforta- 
bly for  some  years  more,  perhaps  even  to  see  what  the  year 
A.  D.  1900  will  do  for  science,  art,  and  humanity,  I  will 
briefly  glance  at  the  symptoms  of  bodily  decay,   in   the 

*  This  article  appears  as  the  last  chapter  of  the  Volume  of  the  American  Health  Prim- 
ers, entitled  "  Long  Life  and  How  to  Reach  it,"  published  by  Lindsay  &  Blakistou, 
Pliiladelphia,  and  is  included  in  this  volume  by  their  permission. 

29 


§0  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

order  in  which  they  are  apt  to  make  their  onset,  and  in  the" 
same  concise  way  point  out  liow  to  diminish  their  interfer- 
ence with  the  powers  of  life,  and  their  disturbances  of 
health. 

One  of  the  first  signs  of  wearing  out  is  the  decay  or 
falling  out  of  the  teeth,  which  loss  leads  to  serious  derange- 
ments of  digestion,  as  a  consequence  of  the  necessarily 
imperfect  mastication  or  chewing  of  food.  The  complete 
breaking  up  of  our  more  solid  articles  of  diet,  and  their 
thorough  mixture  with  saliva,  are  indispensable  prelimina- 
ries to  their  solution  in  the  stomach  and  intestines,  upon 
which  our  vigor  largely  depends.  Hence,  it  is  well  worth 
while  for  us  to  avail  ourselves,  to  the  utmost,  of  the  skill 
and  ingenuity  displayed  to  such  an  eminent  degree  by 
practitioners  of  the  dental  specialty  in  medicine,  which 
generally  enable  them  to  prolong  for  many  years  the  use- 
fulness of  deca^'ed  teeth,  and  finally  to  substitute  for  them 
artificial  molars  and  incisors,  which  perform  their  vicarious 
office  with  wonderful  success. 

When,  as  sometimes  happens,  the  dentist's  art  fails  to 
serve  the  required  purpose,  care  must  be  taken  to  have  all 
kinds  of  solid  food  cut  or  ground  into  very  small  pieces 
before  it  passes  the  lips.  After  it  enters  the  mouth,  arti- 
cles of  diet  (whether  solid,  and  thus  artificially  prepared; 
soft,  like  boiled  rice  or  milk  toast,  or  liquid,  such  as  soups 
or  meat  extracts)  should  not  be  swallowed  immediately, 
but  ought  to  be  mixed  with  saliva  by  moving  them  round 
in  the  mouth  for  a  short  time,  about  as  long  as  they  would 
require  for  mastication  if  the  teeth  were  in  perfect  order. 


OLD  A  GE  AND  HO  W  TO  MEET  IT        31 

Another  important  change  very  liable  to  accompany  ad- 
vancing years,  is  the  excessive  deposit  of  fat,  which, 
unfortunately,  often  occurs  just  at  the  time  when  the  mus- 
cular powers  are  deteriorating  a  little,  and  the  corpulent 
condition,  therefore,  interferes  with  taking  sufficient  bodily 
exercise  to  insure  uninterrupted  good  health.  This  ten- 
dency may  be  diminished  by  attention  to  diet,  and  its 
unfavorable  influence  is  often  quite  important  enough  to 
render  faithful  observance  of  the  rules  for  avoiding  obesity 
profitable.  Calcareous  or  chalky  degeneration  of  the  arte- 
ries, etc.,  is  a  common  and  serious  mode  of  decay  in 
advanced  life,  due  in  part,  perhaps,  to  errors  in  diet. 

The  failure  of  muscular  power  directly  dependent  upon 
the  want  of  complete  renewal  of  all  the  muscular  fibres, 
which  go  to  make  up  the  muscles  in  the  shrunken  and 
shrivelled  limbs  of  old  age,  is  another  very  common  mile- 
stone upon  the  declivity  of  life.  Mournful  as  it  is  to  see 
the  former  athlete  shorn  of  his  long-boasted  strength,  this 
deprivation  would  have  but  little  direct  effect  in  hindering 
the  attainment  of  long  life,  were  it  confined  to  the  muscles 
under  the  control  of  the  will  alone.  Unfortunately,  how- 
ever, the  same  loss  of  muscular  tissue,  and  therefore  of 
muscular  power,  takes  place  in  the  involuntarv  muscles, 
and  occurring  consequently  in  the  heart  and  the  semi-voh 
untary  muscles  which  inflate  the  lungs  by  expanding  the 
chest,  renders  the  vital  functions  of  the  respiration  and  of 
the  circulation  of  the  blood  feeble  and  imperfectly  per- 
formed. Of  course,  we  have  no  means  of  examining  the 
heart,  for  example,  and  seeing  whether  in  any  particular 


32  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

individual  this  waste  has  begun,  but  we  possess,  under  cer- 
tain limitations,  a  very  sure  guide  to  its  existence  in  the 
manifestly  greater  difficulty  of  breathing  on  attempting  to 
run,  or  climb  a  hill,  or  even  a  high  staircase,  so  common 
among  persons  over  sixty,  and  almost  universal  amou'^ 
those  over  seventy-five  years  of  age.  Another  result  o^ 
feebleness  of  action  of  the  heart  and  muscular-coated  arte- 
ries is  the  coldness  of  the  hands,  feet,  and  limbs,  due  to 
the  slowness  and  imperfection  of  the  circulation  of  the 
blood,  which  wanders  lazily  along  through  its  vessels  with 
a  torpor  in  painful  contrast  to  the  bounding  pulses  of  vig- 
orous youth.  This  torpor  of  the  vital  current  leads  to  a 
kind  of  chilliness  of  the  extremities  of  aged  people  which 
no  amount  of  outside  wrappings  will  remedy,  for,  like 
King  David  of  old,  though  covered  with  clothes,  they  get 
no  heat.  Artificial  warmth  is  therefore  absolutely  neces- 
sary, and  in  extremely  cold  weather,  elderly  people  in 
whom  this  symptom  is  at  all  marked  should  remain 
in-doors,  and  within  the  influence  of  well-regulated  fires. 
Many  an  otherwise  long  life  is  cut  short  at  threescore,  or 
threescore  and  ten,  by  an  attack  of  bronchitis,  lung-fever, 
or  inflammation  of  the  membranes  of  the  heart,  etc.,  from 
want  of  knowledge,  or  want  of  care,  in  regard  to  the 
necessity  of  this  precaution. 

Still  another  dangerous  effect  of  this  muscular  wasting 
(or  senile  atrophy,  as  physicians  call  it)  characteristic  of 
old  age,  is  the  weakening  of  the  natural  worm-like  move- 
ments of  the  intestines,  accomplished  by  millions  of  little 
involuntary  muscles,   which,  during  vigorous  life,  propel 


OLD  A  GE  AND  HO  W  TO  MEET  IT        33 

the  food  at  a  pi-oper  rate  through  the  alimeiitar}'  canal,  but 
after  tlie  age  of  fifty  or  sixty  lose  some  of  their  efficiency, 
and,  as  a  consequence,  permit  to  be  set  up  that  torpor  or 
constipation  of  the  bowels  which  is  so  common,  so  trouble- 
some, and  so  injurious  in  advanced  life. 

The  management  of  these  various  failures  in  the  differ^ 
ent  muscular  organs  of  the  body  to  do  their  proper  share 
of  work,  is  as  simple  as  it  is  practically  difiicult  for  most 
persons  to  carry  out.  An  individual  in  whom  they  have 
occurred  is  exactly  in  the  condition  of  a  wealthy  man  whose 
fortune  has  been  diminished  by  hard  times  until  he  finds 
he  must  either  reduce  his  expenses  or  trench  upon  his  capi- 
tal. If  elderly  people,  whose  allowance  (or  income)  of 
muscular  strength  has  been  reduced  by  the  "hard  times" 
of  threescore  and  ten,  to  one-half  of  its  amount  during  the 
prime  of  life,  can  only  be  persuaded  to  live  within  the 
bounds  of  this  diminished  income  of  vitality,  existence 
may  generally  be  prolonged  for  a  considerable  additional 
period ;  but  if,  on  the  contrary,  they  will  persist  in  en- 
deav^oring  to  perform  the  feats  of  agility,  of  strength,  of 
endurance,  cmd  of  digestion^  which  were  the  pride  of 
their  youth  and  their  prime,  their  bodily  capital  is 
trenched  upon,  their  remaining  stock  of  vigor,  which  pru- 
dently husbanded,  might  well  have  lasted  another  twenty 
years,  is  soon  exhausted,  and  speedy  death  is  the  result. 

I  cannot  too  strongly  reiterate  what  has  been  already  ad- 
vised in  regard  to  the  use  of  laxative  food,  injections,  and 
mild  purgatives  in  constipation,  and  urge  their  special  im- 
Importance  in  avoiding  torpor  of  the  bowels  in  the  aged. 


34  FIFTY  YFaRS  AND  BEYOND. 

Congestions  and  secondary  affections  of  the  liver,  blind  or 
bleeding  piles,  and  vertigo,  or  even  apoplexy,  during  the 
act  of  straining  at  stool,  are  some  of  the  penalties  paid  by 
old  age  for  neglect  of  these  safeguards. 

[The  passage  to  which  the  author  here  refers,  is  as  foh 
lows:] 

"With  rare  exceptions,  people  can  never  enjoy  good 
health  whilst  they  suffer  from  constipation,  a  vice  much 
more  prevalent  than  is  generally  known  oi-  believed.  Liver 
complaint,  dyspepsia,  headache,  vertigo,  and  that  torment- 
ing disease,  piles,  are  only  some  of  the  direct  results  of 
constipation,  and  give  rise  to  an  immense  amount  of  human 
misery.  I  have  no  doubt  that  learning  to  have  an  evacua- 
tion of  the  boM^els  regularly  every  morning  conduces  far 
more  to  a  man's  health,  happiness,  and  success  in  life  than 
a  complete  classical  education,  invaluable  as  that  certainly 
is;  and  when  the  habit  is  once  established,. nothing,  abso- 
lutely nothing,  should  be  permitted  to  interrupt  it.  Of 
course,  we  ought  all  to  strive  to  overcome  constipation  by 
laxative  articles  of  diet,  sucli  as  bran  bread,  fruit,  fresh  or 
dried,  and  by  suitable  exercise ;  but  if  these  fail,  the  em- 
ployment of  gentle  saline  purgatives,  such  as  Congress  and 
Friedrichshal  water,  or  of  rhubarb,  and  the  use  of  injec- 
tions, constitutes  by  far  the  lesser  evil." 

Sometimes  hand  in  hand,  sometimes  preceding  or  suc- 
ceeding, at  some  little  interval,  to  these  failures  in  the 
muscular  tissues,  are  seen  the  evidences  of  deterioration  ot 
brain  and  nerve-structure  displayed  in  the  loss  of  intellect- 
ual power,  with  changes  of  temper  and  even  ef  d'SPisition. 


OLD  A  GE  AND  HO  W  TO  MEET  IT        35 

Such  alterations  are  slow;  they  often  commence  insid 
iously,  and  develop  almost  imperceptibly,  escaping  the 
attention  of  the  subject  of  them,  for  the  simple  reason 
that  they  affect  the  organ  of  perception  of  external  im 
pressions  itself.  Very  frequently  they  are  distinctly  vis- 
ible, to  a  close  observer,  long  before  the  state  of  dotage  is 
recognizable  by  the  ordinary  eye. 

There  is  no  doubt  that,  under  these  circumstances,  life 
and  intellectual  vigor  would  often  be  prolonged  by  a  judi- 
cious change  of  occupation  and  of  scene,  particularly  in 
foreign  travel ;  and  nuirked  failure  of  memory,  loss  of 
reasoning  power,  or  capacity  of  mental  application,  are  the 
symptoms  which  should  warn  elderly  people  of  the  ap- 
proach of  intellectual  decay,  which,  however,  the  means 
just  suggested  may  avert,  or,  at  least,  for  a  long  time  post- 
pone. Should  these  danger-signals  be  disregarded,  as  is 
the  case  in  a  large  majority  of  instances,  the  time  when 
they  can  be  of  service  is  apt  to  pass  quickly  by,  and  the 
])ercliance  once  vigorous  intellect,  wrecked  and  i-uined,  falls 
into  a  condition  of  decay  which  renders  long  life  a  griev- 
ous burden,  not  only  to  the  sufferer  himself  but  also  to  the 
lovino;  relatives  and  anxi(nis  friends  who  surround  him. 


SUGGESTIONS  IN  RELATION  TO  THE  PRESERVA- 
TION OF  NERVE  AND  MENTAL  HEALTH 
IN  THE  AGED. 

J.   S.  Jewell,  M.  D. 

Professor   op   Nervous   and  Mental  Diseases  at  Chicago  Medical  College, 
(Medical  Department  of  North- Western  University.) 


N  THIS  brief  paper  it  will  be  my  object  to 
describe  the  more  ordinary  conditions  of  the 
nervous  system  which  obtain  in  persons  who 
have  passed  the  meridian  of  their  physical 
lives,  and  within  and  upon  whose  bodies  the  marks  of 
l^hysical  decline  have  appeared. 

The  altered  conditions  of  nerve  nutrition  and  circulation, 
incident  to  old  age,  carry  with  them  changes  in  mental  con- 
ditions and  activities,  whether  as  regards  thought  or  feel- 
ing. 

The  nervous  system,  which  is  the  special  seat  and  instru- 
ment of  mind,  is  the  highest,  most  complex,  and  delicate 
part  of  the  animal  organism.  As  an  almost  necessary  pre- 
lude to  what  is  to  follow,  I  shall  oifer  a  few  remarks  on  the 
structure  and  modes  of  action  of  the  nervous  system.  As 
a  system,  it  outranks  all  others.  It  consists  chiefly  of  two 
great  parallel  or  correlative  tracts.  One  of  these  is  the 
special  seat  of  sensibility,  and  extends  from  all  parts  of  the 

36 


NERVE  AND  MENTAL  HEALTH.  37 

body,  endowed  with  feeling,  to  the  spinal  marrow,  and  in 
the  spinal  marrow  up  into  the  brain.  This  is  the  great 
liighway  for  impressions  from  the  outer  physical  world, 
which  through  this  channel  reach  the  mind,  which  has  its 
])rincipal  seat  in  the  gray  matter  on  the  outer  surface  of 
the  brain.  The  other  great  tract  in  the  nervous  system  is 
tlie  special  seat  of  nerve-j^ower  for  both  mental  and  physi- 
cal purposes.  It  extends  from  the  brain  down  through  the 
spinal  cord  and  outwards  along  the  nerves  of  motion  to  the 
muscles,  glands,  and  other  structures,  the  actions  of  which 
are  excited  and  controlled  by  the  nervous  system. 

Here  then  are  the  two  great  tracts  ;  one  extending  from 
the  surface  to  the  brain  ;  the  other  from  the  brain  to  the 
surface  ;  the  one  the  highway  of  sense  impressions  from 
the  outer  world  toward  the  mind  ;  the  other  the  highway  of 
impulses  to  motion  from  the  brain,  or  central  nervous  sys- 
tem, toward  the  outer  world. 

The  ends  of  the  two  great  tracts  just  described,  which 
lie  within  the  cavity  of  the  skull,  have  gathered  about 
them,  but  especially  intercalated  between  them,  certain 
nerve  mechanisms  which  add  greatly  to  the  size  and  com- 
plexity of  this  part  of  the  nervous  system.  These  are  for 
the  purpose  of  storing  impressions,  as  in  memory,  and 
for  elaborating  them,  as  in  thought.  These  parts  may 
be  considered  as  lying  between  the  upper  terminations  of 
the  great  motor  and  sense  tracts.  This,  taken  together, 
constitutes  what  is  known  as  the  brain.  It  is  a  vast  com- 
plex of  cells  and  fibres.  Thousands  of  fibres  extend  from 
the  spinal  marrow  and  from   about  the  base  of  the  brain 


38  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

outwards  toward  tlie  various  organs  of  the  body  into 
which  nerves  can  be  traced.  Thousands  of  fibres  extend 
from  the  spinal  marrow,  and  from  the  medulla,  which 
crowns  the  cord  as  a  capital,  up  into  the  brain,  so  as  to  place 
various  portions  of  the  former  in  connection  with  various 
portions  of  the  latter. 

In  the  interior  of  the  spinal  cord  is  a  tube  or  rod 
of  gray  nerve  matter,  containing,  it  is  probable,  millions 
of  nerve  cells  of  different  shapes  and  varying  magnitudes. 
These  nerve  cells  receive  fibres  from,  and  give  ofi"  fibres 
to,  various  parts  of  the  body  on  the  one  hand  and  upwards 
toward  the  brain  on  the  other.  This  column  of  gray  mat- 
ter, composed  chiefly  of  cells,  reaches  up  into  the  base  of 
the  brain.  Clustering  about  the  end  of  this  gray  column, 
which  lies  within  the  skull,  are  a  number  of  masses  of  gray 
matter  called  ganglia,  which  lie  on  the  floor  of  the  skull. 
These  masses,  or  ganglia,  are  composed  of  cells  like  the 
gray  matter  of  the  spinal  cord.  The  nerve  cells  in  these 
ganglia  are  connected  by  fibres  with  the  cells  of  the  gray 
matter  of  the  spinal  cord  so  as  to  place  various  portions  of 
the  gray  matter  in  the  ganglia  which  repose  on  the  floor 
of  the  skull,  in  communication  with  the  various  horizons  of 
the  central  gray  matter  of  the  cord.  Finally,  we  have 
overhanging  the  whole  as  a  great  hollow  dome,  a  thin  layer 
of  gray  matter  spread  on  the  outer  wrinkled  surface  of  the 
brain  and  known  as  its  cortex.  It  is  the  special  seat  of 
the  mind,  whether  we  refer  to  its  sensibilities,  to  its  mem- 
ory, to  its  elaborative  capacity  (or  thought-power,)  or  its 
volition.     This  layer  of  gray  matter  on  the  outer  surface  of 


NER  YE  AISTD  MENTAL  HEALTH.  39 

the  brain  is  as  thick,  perhaps  a  little  thicker,  tliaii  paste- 
board. This  gray  matter  is  composed  largely  of  cells  dis- 
posed in  strata,  or  layers  like  the  strata  in  a  geological 
formation.  It  is  computed  that  there  exist  in  the  gray 
matter  on  the  outer  surface  of  the  average  adult  brain, 
from  six  to  nine  hundred  millions  of  cells  that  differ  in  va- 
rious places  in  size,  form,  and  density  of  aggregation. 
These  cells  receive  and  give  off  fibres.  Some  of  these 
latter  pass  across  from  one-half  of  the  brain  to  become  con- 
nected with  cells  in  the  opposite  half  of  the  brain,  similar 
in  function  to  those  out  of  which  the  fibres  proceeded.  A 
second  set  of  fibres  originate  in  the  cells  of  the  cortex  on 
one  side  of  the  brain  and  dipping  out  of  sight  underneath 
the  cortex,  terminate  at  the  other  end  in  some  other  portion 
of  the  cortex  on  the  same  side.  Finally,  there  is  a  thii-d 
system  of  fibres  which  take  their  origin  in  cells  of  the  cor- 
tex and  converge  toward  the  base  of  the  brain.  Some  of 
these  fibres  terminate  in  the  cells  in  the  gray  matter  in  the 
base  of  the  brain,  while  others  pass  by  or  through  the 
gray  matter  in  the  base  of  the  brain  to  become  connected 
with  the  gray  matter  at  difi'erent  heights  in  the  spinal 
marrow. 

Thus  we  have  great  fibre  systems  connecting  with  one 
another  these  great  regions  of  gray  matter  which  would 
be  entirely  distinct  from  each  other  but  for  the  connecting 
fibre  systems. 

Both  cells  and  fibres  exist  in  the  nervous  system  in 
unnumbered  millions.  A  nerve  cell  is  so  small  that  it  is 
probable  more  than  a  million   could   be   crowded   into  a 


40  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

space  less  than  a  cubic  inch  in  dimensions.  The  nerve 
fibres  are  so  slender  that  from  one  to  two  thousand  could 
be  laid  side  b^^  side  within  the  limits  of  a  linear  inch. 

This  extraordinary  and  complex  central  mechanism  has 
provided  for  it  a  series  of  envelopes  or  coverings  to  pro- 
tect it  from  shock  or  physical  injury.  First  of  all  is  the 
strong  bony  case  furnished  by  the  skull  and  flexible  spinal 
column.  Next,  this  bony  cavity  is  lined  by  an  exceedingly 
tough  membrane,  rough  on  its  outer  surface  but  exceed- 
ingly smooth  inwardly.  There  is  next  in  order  a  very  deli- 
cate membrane,  so  thin  as  to  be  transparent,  which  forms 
a  complete  loose  bag  for  the  brain  and  spinal  cord.  It  is 
exceedingly  smooth  on  its  outer  surface,  but  rough  and 
gives  off  delicate  threads  from  its  inner  surface.  Within 
this  delicate  bag  is  the  brain  and  spinal  cord.  The 
latter  hangs  down  in  the  spinal  canal,  which  it  does  not 
quite  one-half  fill.  It  is  anchored  in  the  middle  of  this 
canal  by  numerous  delicate  bands  of  fibres  which  pass  off 
from  its  sides  to  contract  firm  relations  with  the  tough 
membrane  on  either  side.  The  spinal  marrow  is  held  deli- 
cately but  firndy  on  both  sides.  It  is  therefore  impossi- 
ble in  lying  down,  or  making  any  change  in  position  what- 
ever, for  the  spinal  marrow  to  come  in  contact  with  the 
solid  wall  which  invests  it.  To  make  these  delicate  and 
complex  structures  still  more  safe  the  spinal  cord  is  sur- 
rounded by  fluid  which  fills  the  delicate  bag  already 
described.  Thus  the  cord  is  suspended  in  the  centre  of  a 
column  of  liquid  which  bathes  and  presses  upon  it  with 
a  variable  degree  of  force   ^nd  is  a  mobile  medium  for 


NER  YE  AND  MENTAL  HEALTH.  41 

breaking  tlie  force  of  shocks  upon  the  spine,  which  but  for 
these  arrangements  might  readily  injure  the  spinal  corcL 
This  column  of  liquid  fills  the  spinal  canal  not  only,  but 
there  is  enough  more  than  is  necessary  for  this  purpose,  to 
rise  into  the  cavity  of  the  skull  and  give  a  stratum  of  liquid 
on  the  floor  of  this  great  cavity.  In  this  way  a  sort  of 
elastic  bed  is  provided  upon  which  the  brain  in  some  mea- 
sure rests. 

This  liquid  in  some  measure  covers  the  entire  surface  of 
the  brain,  penetrates  into  all  its  fissures  and  cavities,  and 
in  general  bathes  and  protects  it.  Xot  only  this,  but  all 
of  the  blood  vessels  which  enter  the  substance  of  the 
brain  do  so  through  tunnels  in  its  substance,  which  latter 
are  larger,  as  a  rule,  than  the  blood  vessels  which  traverse 
them,  so  that  there  is  usually  a  free  space  between  the  outer 
surface  of  the  vessel  and  the  inner  surface  of  the  tunnel  in 
the  nerve  substance  along  which  the  vessel  passes.  This 
free  space  about  the  vessels  is  filled  also  with  liquid  to 
their  finest  divisions.  On  account  of  this  provision  it  is 
possible  for  the  vessels  to  expand  and  contract  without  im- 
pinging upon  and  disturbing  or  disrupting  the  delicate 
nerve  structures,  as  might  happen  under  other  circum- 
stances on  account  of  the  throbbing  of  the  arteries. 

The  blood  vessels  of  the  nervous  system,  especially  of 
the  brain  and  spinal  marrow,  are  exceedingly  numerous, 
and  active,  and  they  are  very  liable  to  disease,  as  will  pres- 
ently be  noticed. 

The  wonderful  mechanism  just  described  in  outline,  is 
hidden  Jiway  in  the  interior  of  the  body  and  works  noise- 


42  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

lessly.  No  other  parts  of  the  body  are  the  seats  of  such 
vivid  action,  as  is  the  nervous  system.  It  is  impossi- 
ble to  feel,  in  any  way,  whether  by  the  ways  of  general  or 
special  sense,  it  is  impossible  to  experience  any  form  of 
emotion  or  conscious  appetency  or  appetite,  to  think  one 
thought,  to  perform  any  act  of  memory  or  of  volition,  with- 
out the  occurrence  either  as  a  cause,  or  consequence,  of  the 
activities  in  question,  of  some  material  change  in  a  greater 
or  less  number  of  cells  and  fibres  in  the  brain,  and  often, 
also,  in  the  spinal  marrow  and  peripheral  nerves. 

What  the  exact  changes  are  which  take  place  in  the  deli- 
cate structure  of  the  cells  and  fibres  of  the  nervous  sys- 
tem, either  as  causes  or  consequences  of  nerve  activity  is 
not  well  understood.  But  this  much  is  certain  :  the  change 
is  destructive  in  its  nature. 

Every  mental  act  involves  the  destruction  of  living  nerve 
substance.  It  must  not  be  understood  that  nerve  cells  and 
fibres  die  outright  as  the  immediate  result  of  their  action, 
but  only  in  parts  of  their  living  moving  interior.  If  this 
action  should  be  continued  beyond  a  healthy  limit,  at  which 
simple  fatigue  sets  in,  an  unhealthy  degree  of  waste  occurs. 
In  the  course  of  time  if  nerve  action  were  continued  to  the 
extremest  limit,  no  doubt  cells  and  fibres  would  be  de- 
stroyed. They  would  gradually  diminish  in  size,  that  is, 
become  lean,  exhausted  not  only  in  substance  but  in  power. 
But  in  the  ordinary  way,  when  weai-  and  tear  of  nerve  tis- 
sue has  been  carried  to  a  certain  point,  whether  in  ordmary 
muscular,  or  mental  action,  a  sense  of  fatigue  is  felt  which 
may  be  taken  as  a  warning  that  the  process  of  waste  has 


NER  YE  AND  MENTAL  HEALTH.  43 

gone  to  the  extreme  limit  of  safety,  until  bj  a  period  of  re- 
pose the  waste  nerve  substance  has  been  made  good.  To 
this  end  we  have  naturally  what  is  called  rest.  The  parts 
that  have  been  worn  cease  their  action  on  the  one  hand, 
while  on  the  other  by  means  of  the  blood  vessels,  materials 
fitted  to  repair  the  damage  done  are  carried  into  the  nerve 
structures,  and  in  the  course  of  time  the  part  is  rested  ; 
that  is,  the  damage  sustained  by  action  is  repaired,  and 
nerve  cells  and  nerve  fibres  have  once  again  assumed  their 
normal  size  and  structure,  and  have  at  the  same  time  re- 
covered their  powers  for  a  season  of  fresh  activity.  In 
health  these  processes  of  moderate  waste  on  the  one  hand, 
and  of  repair  on  the  other,  go  hand  in  hand  through  the 
life  of  the  individual. 

Now  if  nerve  activity,  or  back  of  this  nerve  waste  is 
carried,  as  sometimes  happens,  to  an  unnatural  degree, 
there  is  a  more  or  less  serious  exhaustion  in  some  part  of 
the  nervous  system,  or  in  the  nerv^ous  System  as  a  whole, 
according  to  the  character  and  generality  of  the  action. 

This  may  be  brought  about  by  too  much  muscular  action, 
by  protracted  thought,  by  the  great  emotional  activity  of 
any  or  all  kinds,  all  of  which  kinds  of  activity  have  their 
seats  in  the  nervous  system. 

Disorder  or  disease  may  thus  be  produced  by  over-action, 
or  over-excitation.  Disorders  arising  in  this  way  are  pecu- 
liarly liable  to  arise  in  old  age,  when  the  vigor  of  nutrition 
is  lowered,  and  when,  as  a  consequence,  the  reparative 
power  of  the  body  is  small.  If  serious  exhaustion,  or  the 
diso**ders  it  leads  to,  occur  in  persons  after  having  passed 


U  I'll  TV  YEABS  AND  BEYOND. 

tlie  middle   period  of  life,    they  are    difficult   to   recover 
from. 

Then  again  there  is  not  only  the  waste  of  nerve  structure 
already  mentioned,  but  the  vessels  which  convey  blood  to 
the  brain  and  spinal  marrow,  as  a  rule,  become  larger  in 
those  parts  the  activities  of  which  are  in  vivid  play.  The 
blood  vessels  that  go  to  such  a  part  dilate  very  considerably 
to  admit  more  blood  while  a  part  is  in  a  state  of  action  than 
is  necessary  for  the  same  when  in  a  state  of  rest.  When 
the  period  for  rest  comes  and  the  activities  of  the  parts 
cease,  the  blood  vessels  being  contractile  in  character, 
diminish  in  size  so  as  to  admit  less  blood  than  during  the 
period  of  high  action. 

But  if  action  is  continued  beyond  a  cei'tain  period,  dif- 
fering in  length  in  different  individuals,  the  blood  vessels 
become  fatigued,  losing  their  contractile  power  or  tone,  as 
it  is  called.  Under  such  circumstances  if  the  individual 
should  try  to  rest,  the  blood  vessels  having  lost  in  varying 
measure  their  contractile  power,  remain  dilated.  More 
blood  is  admitted  therefore  to  the  part  than  should  go  to 
it  in  health  when  it  is  at  rest.  If  there  is  more  blood  there 
is  a  superfluity  of  material  for  nourishment.  The  circula- 
tion of  blood  becomes  slow  and  uncertain  in  the  enlarged 
vessels  under  these  circumstances  in  the  fatigued  part,  and 
we  have  in  fact  a  moderate  or  a  severe  congestion,  accord- - 
ing  as  the  circumstances  vary.  The  period  allotted  for 
rest  is  not  long  enough  to  enable  the  blood  vessels  to  regain 
their  normal  size,  and  the  next  period  of  activity  (let  us 
suppose  the  next  day)  is  begun  at  a  disadvantage.     The 


NERVE  AND  MENTAL  HEALTH.  45 

blood  vessels  have  lost  that  most  necessary  and  remarkable 
property,  that  is,  contractility,  by  which,  according  as  they 
dilate  or  contract,  they  control  the  blood  supply  of  the  part 
to  which  they  go.  In  this  way  passive  and  exceedingly 
troublesome  congestions  arise,  especially  in  the  bi-ain.  If, 
under  these  circumstances  the  individual  shoidd  use  the 
part  of  the  brain,  the  blood  vessels  of  which  are  brought 
into  the  condition  described,  they  dilate  still  more  the  next 
day  than  they  did  on  the  first,  until  at  last,  as  so  frequently 
happens,  they  become  so  large  in  size  as  to  admit  an  over- 
whelming quantity  of  blood  to  the  disordered  brain  or  spi- 
nal cord,  as  the  case  may  be.  At  this  point  activities  of 
whatever  kind,  become  difficult,  and  finally  impossible, 
and  various  symptoms  arise  according  to  the  functions  of 
the  part  in  which  the  disturbance  occurs.  Tliis  state  of 
affairs  is  very  common  in  persons  who  have  passed  the 
middle  period  of  life.  The  blood  vessels  and  the  little 
nerves  which  supply  them  lose  that  vigor  and  tenacity  of 
action  which  characterizes  them  in  the  young  and  in  early 
adult  life. 

Then  again,  especially  after  one  has  passed  a  period  of 
fifty  or  sixty  years,  there  is  liability  to  disease  in  the  mid- 
dle of  the  three  principal  coats  of  the  blood  vessels,  more 
particularly  in  the  vessels  of  the  brain.  The  technical 
name  for  the  most  common  form  of  this  disorder  is  endar- 
teritis. It  is  a  morbid  process  which  affects  especially  the 
middle  of  the  three  principal  coats  of  the  diseased  ves- 
sels, at  the  diseased  points  the  vessels  lose  their  tough- 
ness or  become  softened,  and  finally  they  expand  or  become 


46  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

enlarged.  Many  of  tliese  enlargements  of  the  small  vessele 
pass  under  the  name  of  aneurisms.  The  blood  circulating 
through  them  passes  slowly,  and  in  some  instances  stops 
altogether,  in  consequence  of  which  the  action  of  certain 
parts  of  the  brain  may  be  greatly  crippled  or  entirely  de- 
stroyed. Then  again  it  many  times  happens  that  the  dis- 
eased blood  vessel,  like  a  rotten  hose  through  which 
water  is  passing  under  high  pressure,  bursts  and  permits 
its  contents,  that  is,  the  blood,  to  be  poured  out  on  the 
surface  or  into  the  substance  of  the  brain,  causing  in  this 
way  a  great  variety  of  symptoms,  especially  the  weak- 
nesses and  paralyses  so  often  seen  in  the  aged.  Such  is 
the  mechanism  of  the  more  common  disorders  of  the  ner- 
vous system  observed  in  persons  who  have  passed  the  mid- 
dle period  in  life.  It  would  be  foreign  to  the  scope  of  this 
paper  to  go  into  the  subject  further. 

Hence  I  will  turn  about  to  draw  a  few  practical  lessons 
from  what  has  just  been  said. 

Then,  first  of  all  in  the  case  of  those  who  have  passed 
the  middle  period  in  life,  it  is  necessary,  as  fjxr  as  possible, 
to  avoid  serious  fatigue  or  exhaustion,  chiefly  because  it  is 
so  difficult  on  the  part  of  most  aged  persons  to  repair  the 
damage  done  to  the  nervous  system  which  serious  fatigue 
implies.  It  is  very  easy  to  overdo.  It  is  difficult  to  recover 
what  has  been  lost.  If  the  individual  is  to  preserve  nerve 
health  in  old  age  this  simple  rule  must  be  intelligently,  and 
as  far  as  possible,  strictly  observed.  Nerve  action  should 
be  shortened  in  duration  and  less  violent  than  in  earlier  pe- 
riods  in  life.     But   if  serious  fatigue   or  exhaustion  has 


NERVE  AND  MENTAL  HEALTH.  4V 

occurred,  the  individual  should  undorstaud  distinctly  that 
lie  is  on  dangerous  ground,  and  that  to  continue  in  this  way 
involves  more  or  less  certainly,  a  premature  loosing  of  the 
silver  cord  spoken  of  by  the  wise  man. 

In  the  second  place  it  should  be  remembered  that  be- 
sides the  nerve  wear  and  tear,  and  the  resulting  iatigue, 
that  the  blood  vessels  of  aged  persons,  as  already  described, 
easily  become  exhausted  or  lose  their  tone,  leading  to  con- 
gestions, thus  preparing  the  w^ay  for  sleeplessness,  coniusion 
in  the  head,  feelings  of  pressure  in  the  same,  vertigo, 
disturbances  of  vision  and  of  hearing,  uncertainty  of 
gait,  inability  for  serious  mental  occupations,  more  or 
less  decided  depressions  of  spirits,  and  a  host  of  other 
symptoms. 

The  worst — partly  because  it  is  the  most  common — mor- 
bid symptom  is  sleeplessness,  which  results  when  the  circu- 
lation of  blood  in  the  brain  becomes  unhealthy  on  account  of 
permanent  dilation  of  the  blood  vessels.  Just  as  sure  as 
the  aged  person  habitually  overdoes,  or  is  habitually  over- 
excited, will  the  nervous  system  suffer  in  this  way,  and 
under  other  circumstances  what  might  have  been  a  comfort- 
able old  age  is  rendered  miserable  by  the  various  disorders 
arising  from  passive  congestion.  It  is  necessary  therefore 
to  remember,  for  the  reasons  just  given,  that  great  modera- 
tion as  to  the  duration  and  degree  of  mental  action  sliould 
be  observed  by  the  aged,  particularly  if  exhaustion,  sleep- 
lessnesss  and  the  like  should  follow. 

Besides  those  already  made,  there  are  several  other  sug- 
gestions in  relation  to  nerve  health  that  may  be  profitably 


48  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 


pondered  and  acted  upon  by  those  wlio  have  passed  the 
middle  period  in  life. 

First  of  all  as  regards  sleep.  More  than  anything  else 
sleep  is  nerve,  or  brain  rest.  It  is  a  remarkable  state. 
The  more  it  is  reflected  upon  the  more  curious  it  seems. 
But  without  entering  into  a  discussion  on  the  nature  of 
sleep  it  may  be  declared  as  impossible  to  maintain  brain 
health  without  a  due  measure  of  sleep.  It  may  be  laid 
down  as  a  rule  that  the  more  severe  and  exhausting  brain 
action  is,  the  more  sleep  is  required.  The  converse  is  also 
true  as  a  general  principle.  It  is  hence  found  that  the  aged 
require  less  sleep  than  the  young,  because  they  are  less  ac- 
tive. Brain  action  is  less  vivid  and  wearing  in  the  former 
than  in  the  latter.  Notwithstanding  these  may  be  admitted 
as  general  truths,  it  should  be  stated  tliat  aged  persons  re- 
quire, on  the  average,  about  five  or  six  hours  sound  sleep 
in  order  to  maintain  brain  health.  If  for  any  reason  a 
much  less  amount  than  this  can  be  obtained,  or  if  sleep  is 
habitually  unrefreshing,  and  troubled  with  dreams,  it  may 
be  laid  down  as  certain  that  nerve  health  is  in  danger,  and 
a  strict  inquiry  should  be  made  as  to  the  causes  of  disor- 
der.  They  will  be  found  usually  in  the  following  list: 
Physical  overwork,  too  much  mental  occupation,  as  i» 
reading  too  many  hours  just  before  retiring,  undue  anxiety 
and  care,  prolonged  exposure  to  cold,  insufficient  cloth- 
ing, overeating  and  consequent  indigestion,  constipation, 
lying  with  the  head  too  low  at  night,  or  retiring  with  the 
feet  and  lower  extremities  cold  or  chilled,  insufficient  pro- 
tection from  cold  during  sleep,  the  abuse  of  tea  or  coffee. 


NER  YE  AND  MENTAL  HEAL  "[11.         40 


One  or  more  such  conditions  of  a  disturbe'l  cerebral  circu- 
lation will  be  found  as  causes  in  a  vast  majority  of  cases.  If 
sleeplessness  depends  upon  active  congestion  of  the  brain 
it  is  likely  to  be  worst  during  the  forepart  of  the  night.  If, 
on  the  contrary,  it  depends  upon  passive  congestion,  it  is 
likely  to  be  w^orst  in  the  latter  part  of  the  night. 

Crreat  care  should  be  exercised  to  secure  a  simple  diet, 
moderate  in  quantity.  Stimulants  should  be  avoided  as  a 
i-ule  in  health.  Keep  the  bowels  in  a  free  state  in  which 
straining  at  stool  is  avoided.  Clothe  warmly,  especially 
the  lower  extremities,  and  use  hot  foot  baths  followed  by 
thorough  frictions  of  the  surface  morning  and  evening,  which 
will  improve  the  circulation  in  the  surface  of  the  body. 
These  simple  measures,  as  a  rule,  will  improve  sleep. 

If  the  head  is  hot  it  is  well  to  improvise  a  slightly  in- 
clined plane  on  which  to  sleep.  This  can  be  done  by 
placing  under  the  head-posts  of  the  bed,  blocks  of  wood 
from  four  to  six  inches  in  thickness.  Under  these  circum- 
stances the  blood  as  a  whole  gravitates  toward  the  feet,  and 
by  consequence  from  the  head,  and  blood  pressure  in  the 
brain  is  diminished.  It  happens  frequently  that  sleepless- 
ness depending  upon  a  too  free  circulation  of  blood  in  the 
brain  may  be  overcome  by  fairly  large  doses  of  the  bro- 
mide of  potassium  or  of  sodium.  From  twenty  to  forty 
grains  of  either  may  be  taken  dissolved  in  a  little  water 
before  retiring. 

There  are  other  cases  of  sleeplessness  however  in  which 
the  surface  is  cold,  the  circulation  of  blood  is  feeble,  the 
head  like  other  parts  of  the  body  being  cool  and  the  pupils 


50  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYONJ). 

of  the  eyes  large.  TJ^nder  such  circumstances  it  is  necessary 
often,  to  lie  with  the  head  low,  so  that  more  instead  of  less 
blood  shall  pass  towards  the  head.  In  such  cases  some 
moderate  stimulant  may  procure  sleep. 

But  whatever  is  taken  to  procure  sleep,  it  should  always 
be  remembered  that  it  is  impossible,  at  any  period  of  life, 
to  preserve  brain  health  for  many  days  or  weeks  without 
sufficient  sound  sleep. 

The  second  point  to  be  observed,  as  of  great  importance, 
in  respect  to  the  health  of  the  aged,  relates  to  food  and  its 
digestion. 

Digestion,  like  other  functions  of  the  body,  is  per- 
formed in  the  aged  in  a  comparatively  imperfect  man- 
ner. It  is  necessary,  therefore,  in  securing  the  health  of 
the  body,  especially  of  the  nervous  system,  that  great 
pains  be  taken  in  the  selections  of  proper  articles  as  food. 

As  a  rule  the  diet  list  should  contain  the  following  arti- 
cles :  Beef,  of  the  best  quality,  either  roast  or  broiled  ;  or 
mutton,  or  game,  for  occasional  change,  plainly  cooked; 
fresh  milk ;  fresh  eggs ;  good  butter.  This  pretty  well 
exhausts  the  list  of  articles  in  the  way  of  animal  food.  It 
is  scarcely  worth  while  to  waste  time  on  fish,  since  for  the 
purposes  of  nutrition  this  kind  of  food  is  vastly  below  those 
kinds  already  mentioned.  It  should  be  the  object  to  get 
the  greatest  quantity  of  nourishing  material  in  as  small 
volume  as  possible  and  of  a  readily  digestible  kind. 

In  the  matter  of  a  vegetable  diet,  the  very  best  of  light 
wheat  bread  (stale) ;  well-cooked  oatmeal  mush ;  baked 
Irish    potatoes,  asparagus,  spinach,  tomatoes,    and   some 


NER  VE  AND  MENTAL  HEALTH.  51 

simple  fruit  sauce,  such  as  apple  or  peach,  make  up  ii) 
great  measure  the  list.  As  a  rule,  cabbage,  turnips,  and 
similar  vegetables  should  be  avoided.  No  dried  fruits, 
and  but  very  few  raw  fruits,  unless  quite  moderately  ol 
peaches,  sweet  grapes,  and  oranges,  should  be  taken.  AD 
else,  as  a  rule,  should  be  laid  aside. 

In  the  matter  of  drinks,  water  and  milk,  of  course,  out- 
rank all  others  and  may  be  considered  indispensable.  Tea 
and  coffee,  especially  the  latter,  shoukl  be  taken  in  great 
moderation. 

It  happens  very  frequently  that  aged  persons  do  not  mas- 
ticate their  food  well.  This  is  one  prolific  cause  of  indi- 
gestion at  all  periods  in  life,  especially  among  the  aged. 
Too  much  stress  cannot  be  laid  upon  the  necessity  of  thor- 
ough mastication  of  food.  It  should  be  chewed  fine,  and 
while  eating,  as  a  rule,  no  liquids  should  be  taken,  such 
as  coifee,  tea,  or  water.  Let  the  food  be  so  thoroughly 
masticated,  and  at  the  same  time  moistened  by  the  saliva 
that  it  can  be  swallowed  without  the  aid  of  liquids.  This 
is  a  matter  of  ver}^  great  importance. 

It  is  necessary  also  not  only  for  the  right  kind  of  food  to 
be  taken,  but  that  it  be  moderate  in  quantity.  On  no  ac- 
count should  the  stomach  be  seriously  distended,  as  it  so 
often  is,  in  overeating.  If  there  is  neglect  of  the  plain, 
well-known  precautions  just  given,  various  disorders  of  the 
digestive  system,  either  transient  or  permanent,  arise,  and 
these  in  various  ways  affect  the  health  of  the  body,  more 
particularly  that  of  the  brain.  The  blood  circulation  of 
the  brain  sustains  remarkably  close  relations  with  the  diges- 


52  MFTY  YEAUS  AND  BEYOND. 

tive  organs  through  the  medium  of  the  nervous  system.  A 
little  distarbance  in  the  stomach,  or  in  the  bowels  lower 
down,  may  be  the  occasion,  in  more  ways  than  one,  of 
serious  impairment  of  brain  health.  Too  much  attention, 
therefore,  cannot  well  be  paid  to  the  matter  of  feeding,  as 
to  the  quantity,  kind  and  quality  of  the  food  taken. 

Many  other  suggestions  as  to  occujDation,  climate,  &c., 
could  be  made  if  permitted  within  the  brief  limits  of  this 
little  paper.  But  the  more  important  suggestions  have, 
perhaps,  been  given  already,  and  the  principles  developed, 
it  is  hoped,  which  may  enable  the  attentive  reader  to  de- 
duce, under  varying  circumstances,  much  that  is  valuable 
in  respect  to  the  preservation  of  nerve  health,  upon  which 
so  much  depends  in  the  closing  periods  of  a  human  life. 

Nothing  is  more  desirable  in  that  period  when,  by  reason 
of  a  failure  in  the  bodily  powers,  the  capacity  for  active 
])hysical  work  has  been  in  great  measure  lost,  than  that  the 
health  of  the  brain  should  be  to  such  a  degree  preserved 
that  the  mind  may  be  active,  the  sensibilities  acute,  and  as 
far  as  brain  health  can  secure  them,  that  cheerfulness  and 
good  feeling  may  be  present  in  the  last  years  of  earthly 
life. 


SUGGESTIONS  AS  TO  THE  PROPER  TREATMENT 

OF  THE  EYE  AND  EAR  OF  PERSONS  WHO 

ARE  FIFfY  AND  BEYOND. 

E.  L.  Holmes,  M.D. 

Professor    of    Diseases   of    the  Eye   and   Ear   in    Kush   Medical    College, 
Chicago,  Illinois. 


T  THAT  period  of  life,  when  age  is  no  longer 
distant,  when  tlie  liair  begins  to  turn  gray 
and   tlie  wriid^les  to  appear,   tlie  wise  will 
heed  the  premonition  that  the  reserved  forces 
of  the  organism  are  waning. 

Although  there  are  numerous  apparent  exceptions  in 
every  sphere  of  life,  it  is  still  a  law  of  our  existence,  that 
no  one  can  violate  certain  rules  of  health  without  greater 
hazard  after  the  age  of  fifty  than  before  it. 

With  increasing  years  the  demands  increase  for  suffi- 
cient sleep  and  rest,  for  care  and  deliberation  in  taking 
food,  for  shunning  exposure  to  cold  and  dampness,  and  for 
avoiding  sudden  and  violent  muscular  action. 

The  elasticity  of  the  young  may  permit  inattention  to  the 
functions  of  important  organs  with  a  degree  of  impunity — 

old  age  permits  it  with  only  greater  certainty  of  a  penalty, 

"59 


54  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

As  other  organs,  so  the  eje  and  ear  require  due  aid,  and 
in  certain  cases  peculiar  care  in  approaching  age. 

The  following  very  brief  statement  regarding  the  struct- 
ure of  the  eyes  may  aid  the  reader  in  comprehending  what 
will  be  said  concerning  the  care  of  these  organs — "the 
windows  for  the  soul." 

The  contents  of  the  globe  are  contained  within  a  very 
firm  unyielding  membrane  or  coat  called  the  sclerotic,  in 
the  anterior  part  of  which  is  situated  the  transparent 
cornea.  In  quantity  by  far  the  greater  portion  of  the 
structures  within  the  globe  is  the  vitreous  humor — a  trans- 
parent body,  nearly  spherical  in  shape  and  almost  fluid  in 
consistency.  Surrounding  nearly  the  whole  of  this  last  is 
the  retina — a  delicate  nervous  membrane,  which  receives 
the  images  of  objects,  precisely,  one  might  say,  as  the 
glass  screen  in  the  photographer's  camera. 

The  curved  form  of  the  cornea,  together  with  the  aqueous 
humor  behind  it,  not  only  permits  the  light  to  pass  through, 
but,  like  the  lens  in  the  camera,  causes  the  rays  of  light  to 
come  to  a  "focus."  In  order  that  this  "  focus"  may  fall 
on  the  retina,  and  form  distinct  images  of  external  objects, 
another  organ  is  necessary.  This  organ  is  the  crystalline 
lens — an  object  weighing  only  four  or  five  grains,  and 
resembling  in  form  a  minute  burning-glass.  This  is  sit- 
uated immediately  behind  the  pupil  and  iris,  or  colored 
portion  of  the  eye.  The  crystalline  lens  is  the  organ  by 
means  of  which  we  are  enabled  at  will  to  so  change  the 
"focus  "  of  the  eye  that  at  one  time  we  can  see  distinctly 
near  and  at  another  distant  objects, 


TREATMENT  OF  TEE  EYE  AND  EAR.     55 

The  retina,  although  not  much  thicker  than  common 
paper,  is  composed  of  ten  diflferent  layers,  each  layer  being 
a  very  complex  membrane.  The  nerve  fibers  of  the  retina 
come  together  near  Its  center  and  are  there  united  in  a  cord 
which  extends  as  the  optic  nerve  to  the  brain. 

The  choroid  coat,  lying  between  the  retina  and  outer 
wall  of  the  globe,  is  the  special  nutritive  membrane  upon 
which  seem  to  depend  the  quantity  and  health  of  the  vitre- 
ous humor  and  probably  of  the  crystalline  lens. 

In  great  measure  the  health  of  our  eyes  is  under  our 
control.  Waving  the  consideration  of  accidents  and  of  cer- 
tain unavoidable  diseases  common  to  the  young  and  to  the 
old,  the  writer  wishes  to  urge  upon  the  reader  that  care 
will  greatly  aid  in  preserving  the  integrity  of  the  eyes. 

The  ignorance  and  especially  the  thoughtlessness  of  the 
young,  the  pressing  duties  of  life  among  the  poor,  render 
the  observance  of  certain  rules  difficult.  Still  the  rules  of 
ocular  hygiene  are  simple  and  easily  comprehended  by  all 
who  seek  to  know  them. 

It  is  almost  the  utterance  of  a  truism  to  say  that  the 
general  health  should  always  secure  constant  but  not  over 
anxious  attention.  A  "cold"  should  never  be  treated  as  a 
trivial  matter.  Inflammation,  following  colds,  is  one  of  the 
most  fruitful  sources  of  defective  vision.  An  indirect  but 
frequent  cause  of  "weak  eyes"  may  be  found  in  an 
unsound  digestive  apparatus. 

The  following  rules  regarding  the  use  of  the  eyes  may 
be  considered  of  special  importance. 

"When  the  eyes  are  in  active  use,  there  should  be  most 


56  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 


ample  but  not  glaring  light.  Dark  corners  should  be 
avoided.  Fine  print  and  glazed  paper  should  come  before 
the  eyes  as  seldom  as  possible.  The  head  should  never  be 
bowed  forward  over  the  page  in  reading. 

As  soon  as  it  is  discovered  that  the  eyes  are  irritated  or 
too  easily  fatigued  by  ordinary  work,  competent  skill  should 
at  once  be  sought  to  remedy  the  evil  in  the  very  beginning. 
General  and  simple  as  this  rule  may  seem,  it  is  of  vital 
importance.  Few  can  duly  appreciate  the  incalculable 
benefits  many  have  secured  by  the  arrest  of  a  disease  in 
its  early  stages,  by  the  adjustment  of  suitable  glasses  and 
by  the  correction  of  bad  habits  in  the  use  of  the  eyes. 

There  are  three  conditions  of  the  eye,  more  or  less 
serious,  to  which  the  aged  are  peculiarly  liable— presbyopia 
or  far-sightedness,  cataract,  and  glaucoma. 

The  first  may  simply  annoy  the  patient ;  the  second  will 
probably  cause  blindness,  which  may  be  relieved — tempo- 
rary neglect  of  the  trouble  can  scarcely  be  called  danger- 
ous ;  the  third  disease,  glaucoma,  is  of  grave  import— its 
neglect,  even  for  a  short  period,  may  be  fraught  with  most 
direful  consequences— terrific  pain  and  hopeless  blindness. 
Presbyopia,  or  far-sightedness,  is  one  of  the  earliest  and 
most  frequent  changes  in  the  eye  which  mark  the  advent 
of  age. 

It  is  the  inability  to  see  distinctly  minute  and  near 
objects,  while  all  other  objects  are  seen  as  clearly  as  before. 
Common  print  can  scarcely  be  seen  as  near  as  eight  inches. 
The  difficulty  is  especially  observed  in  the  evening  and 
cloudy  days. 


TREATMENT  OF  THE  EYE  AND  EAR. 


i)i 


The  condition  has  its  origin  in  the  decrease  of  elasticity 
in  the  crystalline  lens  and  the  muscular  fibers  of  the  ciliary 
rino;  near  its  circumference. 

'  .  . 

For  some  time  patients  in  favorable  light  may  still  see  to 
read  with  no  great  difiiculty.  By  placing  a  light  between 
the  eyes  and  the  book  they  may  for  months  read  in  the 
evening.  In  this  waj?  there  is  a  kind  of  compensation  for 
the  change  in  the  lens,  for  the  brilliant  light  so  near,  illumi- 
nates the  page  and  causes  a  contraction  of  the  pupils.  It 
is  not  well  to  read  in  this  manner. 

It  is  far  preferable  to  commence  wearing  spectacles  as 
soon  as  it  is  discovered  that  the  eyes  are  presbyopic.  Ko 
attention  should  be  paid  to  the  popular  but  erroneous 
opinion  that  the  use  of  spectacles  should  be  deferred  as 
long  as  possible. 

Very  many  persons  who  have  lived  forty-five  or  fifty  years 
with  perfect  vision  in  each  eye  select  their  glasses  with 
reasonable  accuracy.  It  is  wiser  to  intrust  the  selection  to 
one  who  is  known  to  have  experience  in  such  work.  It  is 
emphatically  so,  when  there  is  difi'erence  in  distinctness  of 
vision  in  the  two  eyes,  when  vision  at  all  distances  is  dim, 
and  when  ordinary  work  is  attended  with  discomfort. 

In  conditions  of  the  eye  in  which  there  is  an  inequality 
of  curvature  of  the  cornea,  known  as  astigmatism,  or  in 
which  certain  muscles  of  the  eye  are  weak,  it  is  utterly 
impossible  for  one  without  experience  to  adjust  suitable 
lenses. 

The  glasses  should  be  so  placed  in  frames  that  each  eye 
looks  through   the   center  of  its   respective   lens.     They 


58  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

should  be  held  firmly  and  squarely  before  the  eyes  and  as 
near  to  them  as  possible  without  impeding  the  motion  of 
the  lids.  Their  surfaces  should  always  be  kept  clean  and 
free  from  scratches. 

So-called  eye-glasses  should  not  be  worn  unless  they  rest 
firmly  and  evenly  in  place.  Now  and  then  they  cause  a 
slight  tension  of  the  lids,  by  which  the  latter  are  drawn 
from  the  globe,  causing  irritation  and  great  discomfort  in 
reading. 

Those  persons  who  have  occasion  to  look  frequently 
over  their  spectacles  should  select  a  form  of  frame  that 
will  permit  this  without  trouble.  Others  require  two  lenses 
of  different  focal  distance,  one  for  remote  and  the  other  for 
near  objects.  If  the  line  of  union  between  the  lenses  does 
not  annoy  the  patient,  the  lenses  may  be  united  in  one 
frame ;  the  weaker  ones  for  distance  in  the  upper  half  and 
the  stronger  ones  for  reading  and  writing  in  the  lower  half 
of  the  frame. 

Pebbles  and  crystals,  except  that  they  are  harder  and 
are  not  easily  scratched,  are  in  no  way  superior  to  glass  of 
good  quality.  It  is  well  to  avoid  all  venders  of  spectacles 
who  advertise  extensively  and  demand  extravagant  prices 
on  the  ground  that  their  goods  possess  special  virtues  in 
preserving  sight.  Examine  carefully  into  the  evidence 
before  giving  credence  to  certificates  of  remarkable  cures 
by  means  of  eye  cups,  and  appliances  for  changing  the 
form  of  the  eye.  No  one  by  means  of  pressing  or  system- 
atic rubbing  of  the  eyes  should  expect  to  relieve  either 
near-sightedness  or  far-sightedness, 


TREATMENT  OF  THE  EYE  AND  EAR.     59 

Any  person  who  at  the  age  of  fifty  is  suffering  from  near- 
sightedness, which  increases  in  degree,  should  be  under 
the  observation  of  a  skillful  practitioner. 

It  may  be  stated  that  an  individual  at  the  age  of  forty- 
five,  who  has  been  slightly  near-sighted,  with  no  complica- 
tion, may  hope  to  spend  several  years  before  he  will  be 
compelled  to  use  spectacles  in  reading. 

There  is  a  popular  error  regarding  a  time  in  greatly 
advanced  age,  when  those  who  have  been  compelled  to 
wear  magnifying  glasses  may  read  easily  at  near  distances 
without  them.  This  is  called  the  period  of  "second  sight." 
There  is  no  such  natural  period.  A  case  of  this  kind  rarely 
occurs.  Occasionally  a  patient  with  developing  cataract 
may  for  a  period  read  quite  plainly  without  his  glasses. 

An  aff'ection  of  the  eye,  well  known  as  cataract,  is  a  con- 
dition peculiar  both  to  infancy  and  especially  to  old  age.  It 
is  a  change  in  the  substance  of  the  crystalline  lens,  by  which 
this  wonderfully  transparent  organ  behind  the  pupil  becomes 
opaque.  The  rays  of  light,  which  enter  the  pupil,  are  at 
once  arretted  by  the  cataractous  lens  and  prevented  from 
forming  images  on  the  retina.  This  condition  is  often  con- 
founded with  gray  cloudlike  changes  on  the  surface  of  the 
cornea.  It  should  be  remembered  that  cataract  lies  behind 
the  pupil.  The  cloudlike  appearance  just  mentioned  lies 
in  front  of  the  pupil. 

Little  or  nothing  can  be  done  either  to  prevent  cataract 
or  arrest  its  progress.  Tlie  operation  for  senile  cataract 
consists  in  removing  the  opaque  lens  through  a  large  incis- 
ion made  at  or  near  the  border  of  the  cornea. 


60  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

Vision  for  near  objects  is  made  possible  by  spectacles 
differing  from  those  usually  worn  by  old  people  only  in 
being  of  much  greater  magiiifging  power.  Blindness  caused 
by  this  disease  is  in  a  measure  divested  of  its  terrors  by  the 
improved  methods  of  performing  the  operation.  Although 
the  extraction  of  cataract  is  one  of  the  most  delicate  and 
difficult  operations  in  surgery,  a  very  large  proportion  of 
cases  are  successfully  treated. 

The  third  disease,  to  which  the  old  are  peculiarly  liable, 
and  which  if  neglected  is  of  far  more  serious  consequence 
than  cataract,  is  glaucoma.  One  of  its  most  important 
features  is  the  collection  of  an  undue  amount  of  fluid  within 
the  globe— in  other  words,  to  use  a  common  expression, 
there  is  a  dropsy  of  the  eye-ball.  The  disease  is  not  so  fre- 
quent that  any  one  should  live  in  constant  dread  of  it ;  and 
yet  it  occurs  sufficiently  often  to  induce  every  person 
"  beginning  to  grow  old  "  to  bear  in  mind  its  symptoms. 
The  chief  symptoms,  by  which  any  one  not  a  practitioner  of 
medicine  might  suspect  the  presence  of  the  disease,  are 
the  following  :  A  peculiar  hardness  of  the  globe  as  deter- 
mined by  gently  pressing  the  tips  of  the  fingers  on  the  closed 
lid,  a  dilated  pupil,  a  dimness  of  vision,  in  many  cases 
commencing  on  all  sides  of  the  field  of  vision  ;  the  patient 
sees  as  if  looking  through  a  tube,  and  finally  the  constant 
presence  of  colored  rings  around  an  artificial  light  in  the 
dark.  These  symptoms  may  develop  gradually',  with  no 
pain,  or  scarcely  any  annoyance  to  attract  the  attention  of 
the  patient.  They  may  arise  suddenly  and  with  most 
agonizing  pain. 


TREATMENT  OF  TEE  EYE  AND  EAR.    61 

The  predisposing  causes  of  this  disease  are  not  fully 
comprehended,  although  there  are  good  reasons  for  ascrib- 
ing them  to  certain  changes  in  the  walls,  vessels,  and  certain 
tissues  of  the  globe.  The  attack  may  be  precipitated  by 
exposure  to  cold,  overwork  with  the  eyes,  by  malarial 
neuralgia  of  the  face,  or  even  by  a  fit  of  anger  or  grief. 
The  disease  is  amenable,  in  a  limited  degree,  to  medical 
treatment.  An  important  surgical  operation  is  in  many 
cases  an  absolute  necessity.  The  application  of  a  pre- 
viously well-known  surgical  procedure  to  the  relief  of  glau- 
coma was  a  grand  discovery  by  a  very  brilliant  surgeon. 

Patients  need  to  be  informed  that  general  practitioners 
of  little  special  experience  too  often  fail  to  urge  the  imme- 
diate performance  of  the  operation.  They  frequently 
ascribe  the  pain  to  neuralgia  and  advise  delay  till  this  has 
been  relieved.  Many  a  poor  patient  has  become  utterly 
blind  through  acceptance  of  such  advice.  With  the  symp- 
toms above  described  no  one  should  delay  seeking  special 
aid. 


The  ear  is  a  more  passive  organ  than  the  eye.  It  is  not 
so  universally  called  upon  to  perform  absolute  work.  It  is 
liable  to  a  far  less  number  of  diseases  than  the  latter  organ. 
A  tabulated  list  of  ophthalmic  diseases  presents  a  far  more 
fr  nidable  array  than  that  of  aural  diseases,  as  is  usually 
shown  in  the  reports  of  institutions  for  the  treatment  of 
diseases  of  the  eye  and  of  the  ear. 


62  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

Tlie  important  portions  of  the  ear  wliicli  tlie  reader 
should  now  keep  particularly  in  mind,  are  the  thin  vibrat- 
ing membrane  of  the  drum,  to  which  the  disc  of  the  tele- 
phone may  be  compared,  the  small  bones,  and  a  few 
drops  of  water  which  come  in  contact  with  the  auditory 
nerve. 

In  a  small  space,  which  is  called  the  middle  ear,  and 
which  is  connected  by  the  eustachian  tube  with  the  pos- 
terior portion  of  the  nostrils,  are  situated  three  small  bones. 
One  of  these  bones  is  fastened  to  the  membrane  of  the 
drum ;  another,  resembling  a  minute  stirrup  in  shape,  is 
fitted  in  a  very  small  bony  canal,  somewhat  like  a  piston 
in  its  cylinder;  the  other  small  bone  is  fastened  to  each  of 
the  other  two  and  between  them. 

The  undulations  imparted  to  the  air  by  a  sonorous  body 
cause  the  membrane  of  the  drum  to  vibrate ;  with  it  must 
vibrate  the  small  bones  united  to  it ;  the  vibrations  of  the 
stirrup  in  its  bony  canal  causes  delicate  undulations  of  the 
few  drops  of  fluid  above  mentioned.  This  fluid  fills  a 
small  and  remarkably  irregular  cavity  in  solid  bone  called 
the  labyrinth. 

Bear  in  mind  the  number  of  vibrations  given  by  a  tuning- 
fork,  or  by  musical  instruments  of  any  pitch.  Consider 
the  fact  that  these  vibrations  are  communicated  to  the 
membrane  of  the  drum  and  the  three  minute  bones.  One 
can  now  understand  that  what  we  call  sound  in  its  various 
quality  is  simply  wavelets,  almost  innumerable,  in  a  .,  ' 
drops  of  water,  coming  in  contact  with  the  fibers  of  the 
auditory  nerve  j»  the  labyrinth. 


77?^^  TMENT  OF  THE  EYE  AND  EAU.    6S 

There  are  scarcely  any  abnormal  conditions  of  the  ear 
peculiarly  incident  to  old  age. 

So  long  as  the  hearing  is  perfect  in  each  ear,  and  there 
is  no  unusual  sensation,  it  may  be  considered  as  evident 
that  the  organ  is  in  a  sound  condition.  Whenever  the  case 
is  otherwise  there  should  be  no  delay  in  seeking  advice. 
Although  certain  diseases  of  the  ear  are  unsatisfactory  to 
treat,  delay  in  the  treatment  of  some  forms  of  disease  has 
not  infrequently  caused  partial  or  total  deafness. 

Deafness  and  painful  affections  of  the  ear  very  often 
have  their  origin  in  catarrhal  diseases  caused  by  exposure 
to  cold.  For  this  reason  alone  a  simple  cold  should  never 
be  neglected. 

No  one  should  permit  cold  water  to  enter  the  ear.  Those 
who  are  fond  of  surf-bathing  will  do  well  to  place  cotton 
in  the  ears  if  the  water  is  actually  cold.  This  will  not  only 
tend  to  elevate  the  temperature  of  the  water,  if  it  does  not 
exclude  it,  but  will  exclude  sand  and  other  foreign  sub- 
stances. 

Care  should  always  be  exercised  in  relieving  irritation  of 
the  ears  by  the  introduction  of  any  instrument,  however 
simple. 

To  those  who  are  in  need  of  artificial  aid  for  deafness,  it 
may  be  said  that  some  form  of  trumpet,  if  not  the  most 
elegant  instrument,  is  generally  the  most  effective.  The 
patient  must  select  for  himself,  by  trial,  the  kind  of  trumpet 
he  finds  most  beneficial.  The  various  kinds  of  vibrating 
discs,  applied  to  the  teeth,  except  in  comparatively  few  cases, 
seem  to  aid  deafness  less  than  the  ordinary  ear-trumpet. 


64  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

It  is  a  fact  wortlij'  of  mention  that  a  skilled  aurist  may 
teach  certain  patient;s  to  adjust  an  artificial  membrane  of  the 
drum,  or  even  a  small  ball  of  cotton  in  the  ear  so  as  to 
greatly  improve  the  hearing.  Although  this  is  not  the 
occasion  for  a  discussion  concerning  the  use  or  abuse  of 
tobacco,  it  should  be  known  that,  in  quite  rare  instances, 
its  use  causes  irritation  of  the  mucous  membrane  of  the 
throat  and  nostrils,  which  extends  to  the  eustachian  tubes 
and  middle  ear,  and  produces  deafness. 

No  rule  can  be  given  by  which  one  can  with  certainty 
fortify  the  eye  and  the  ear  against  the  infirmities  of  age. 
The  few  suggestions  here  offered  will  aid  those  who  observe 
them  in  preserving  the  health  of  these  precious  organs. 


THE  PRESERVATION  OF  MENTAL  VIGOR  IN 
ADVANCED  LIFE. 

Rev.  Robert  W.  Patteeson,  D.  D. 

Professob  of  Christian  Evidences  and  Ethics  in  the  Presbyterian  TH£OLOGiCA]i 
Seminary  of  the  Northwest. 


HEN  the  leaves  of  the  trees  begin  to  change 
their  color  from  green  to  yellow,  or  brown, 
we  conclude  that  autumn  is  coming — that 
the  period  for  growth  is  past  and  the  period 
of  decay  or  stationary  life  is  at  hand.  So  is  it,  in  some 
respects,  with  man,  whose  furrowed  brow  and  whitening 
locks  after  the  age  of  fifty  or  sixty  years,  begin  to  betoken 
decline,  both  physical  and  mental.  It  has  been  thought, 
however,  by  close  observers,  that  the  physical  decline  com- 
mences, ordinarily,  some  ten  years  earlier  than  the  mental. 
We  are  inclined  to  coincide  with  the  opinion  that  the  bod- 
ily powers  usually  begin  to  fail  at  the  age  of  about  forty- 
nine  years,  while  the  mental  energies  commonly  retain 
their  full  vigor  ten  years  longer.  Of  course  there  are 
marked  exceptions  to  this  general  statement,  on  both  sides. 
For  some  men  grow  old  much  sooner  than  others,  and  there 
are  some  whose  "natural  force  is  not  abated"  at  the  age 
of  threescore  and  ten,  or  even  fourscore  years.  Very 
nnich  depends,  in  this  respect,  upon  the  natural  constitu- 
tion of  the  person,  the  amount  of  exhaustive  labor  that  has 

65 


ee  FIFTY  YEARS  ANh  BEYOND. 

been  performed  in  active  life,  he  measure  of  healtli  tliat 
has  been  enjoyed  in  the  earlier  years,  the  regularity  of 
one's  habits,  and  his  temperance  in  indulgences. 

It  is  undoubtedly  true,  also,  that  a  man,  in  approaching 
and  passing  through   the  period  of  old   age,  may  contri- 
bute very  much   to  the  long  continuance  of  his  mental 
vigor  by  a  prudent  use  of  such  fit  means  and  methods  as 
has  been  suggested  by  experience  and  observation.    For 
it  is  eminently  true  of  man  in  all  stages  and  conditions  of 
his  earthly  life,   that  he  possesses  such  a  power  of  self- 
adjustment  in  accommodation  to  his  circumstances  as  ena- 
bles him  to  modify,  if  not  to  remove,  many  occasions  of 
his  trials  and  mingle  mitigating  elements  even  in  the  cup 
of  his  sorrows.     This  general  fact  is  illustrated  in  the  his- 
tory of  aged  persons  as  well  as  of  the  young  and  those  who 
are  in  the  meridian  of  life.     For  who  has  not  witnessed  the 
beneficent   fruits    of  wise    self  control,    and   well-directed 
activity,  in  men  of  advanced  years  as  conspicuously  as  in 
those  who  were  bearing  the  burden  aud  heat  of  the  day  ? 
We  say  of  such  men  as  John  Quincy  Adams,  William  Cul- 
len  Brj^ant,  and  Charles  Hodge,  that  they  were  well-pre- 
served to  advanced  years ;  and  we  attribute  this  result,  at 
least,  in  good   part,  to  the    care  which  they  exercised  in 
maintaining  well-regulated  physical,  intellectual,  and  moral 
habits.     Neither  our  minds  nor  our  bodies  will  be  likely  to 
preserve  their   healthful   tone,   especially  after  the  down- 
ward tendencies  of  advanced  life  set  in,  if  w^e  neglect  to 
guard  them,  as  far  as  in  our  power,  against  the  operation 
of  those  causes  that  work  decline  in  proportion  as  they  are 


MENTAL  VIGOR  IN  ADVANCED  LIEE.    67 

permitted  to  act,  witliout  liindrance  or  restriction.  The 
precept,  "  Take  heed  im to  thyself, "  may  be  addressed  to 
tlie  aged  man  with  scarcely  less  force  of  application  than  to 
the  young  man.  For  if  youth  is  the  period  of  life  in  which 
ever}'  influence  telis  with  peculiar  effect  in  sluiping  the 
habits  and  character,  old  age  is  tlie  period  in  whic]~  each 
weakening  influence  needs  to  be  watched  and  judiciously 
resisted,  that  it  may  not  inflict  too  serious  damage  before 
the  time.  If  the  development  of  the  faculties  ought  to  be 
carefully  directed,  witli  a  view  to  their  future  uses,  the  dis- 
integrating forces  need  to  be  withstood,  when  the  physical 
organs  by  which  the  mind  acts  are  losing  their  wonted  en- 
ergy, that  the  soul  may  be  kept  living  and  active  as  nearly 
as  possible  down  to  the  point  at  which  it  is  to  exchange 
its  clay  tabernacle  for  the  freedom  and  enlargement  of  the 
higher  life. 

The  purpose  of  this  article  will  be  achieved,  if  we  shall 
be  able  to  make  clear  and  impress  some  of  the  means  and 
methods  by  which  the  man  of  advancing  years  may  most 
successfully  preserve  the  tone  and  vigor  of  his  mental 
powers  to  extreme  old  age,  or  till  the  end  of  liis  appointed 
time. 

1.  First,  It  is,  of  course,  an  essential  condition  of  suc- 
cess in  this  eff'ort,  that  the  bodily  healtli  should  be  well 
cared  for,  and  kept  in  a  sound  state,  as  far  as  the  use  of  the 
best  appliances  can  accomplisli  it.  It  is  true  that  many 
men  whose  lives  are  filled  with  physical  sufiering  from 
youth  to  advanced  years,  exhibit  throughout  their  whole 
course,  extraordinary  force  and  versatility  of  intellect.    But 


68  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

such  cases  are  to  be  set  down  as  singular  exceptions.  As  a 
rule  those  persons  whose  nervous  or  muscular  systems  are 
seriously  disordered,  either  lose  their  mental  vigor  early, 
or  at  least  fail  to  command  sufficient  self-control  to  devote 
their  intellectual  powers  to  thought  and  inquiry,  after  the 
usual  period  of  decline  has  been  reached.  And  those 
whose  physical  energies  become  sluggish,  especially  in  old 
age,  almost  invariably  exhibit  evidences  of  a  like  mental 
condition.  The  relation  between  the  mind  and  the  body 
is  so  intimate  that  the  one  is  almost  of  necessity  very  far 
affected  by  the  state  of  the  other.  And  this  is  just  as  true 
in  advanced  life  as  in  earlier  years.  It  is  therefore  ex- 
tremely important  that  every  man  of  fifty  or  sixty  years 
should  watcli  carefully  the  changes  in  his  physical  condi- 
tion and  use  all  available  means  of  preserving  sound  bod- 
ily health,  if  he  would  enjoy  long-continued  mental  health. 
And  this  is  the  more  necessary  because  there  is  usually  in 
later  life  a  proneness  to  seek  physical  repose,  which  may 
easily  be  indulged  so  far  as  to  hasten  general  decrepitude 
and  a  loss  of  corn-age  for  every  endeavor  requiring  a  vigor- 
ous application  of  the  mental  forces.  And  with  mental 
inertia  comes  a  loss  of  intellectual  power  by  disuse  of  the 
faculties. 

The  writer  is  not  a  physician,  and  would  not  presume  to 
make  prescriptions  on  this  subject.  But  his  own  experience 
has  taught  him  the  value  of  moderate  physical  exercise 
regularly  taken  every  day  at  certain  hours,  as  a  means  of 
preserving  not  only  bodily  health  but  intellectual  activity. 
And  the  same  experience  has  proved  the  value  of  repose 


MENTAL  VIGOR  IN  ADVANCED  LIFE.   69 

and  sleep  at  regular  intervals  and  during  the  number  of 
hours  required  by  one's  physical  constitution.  A  little 
more  rest  is  requisite  in  advanced  life  than  in  earlier  years  ; 
but  it  is  easy  to  err  on  the  side  of  too  much  indulgence  in 
this  direction.  It  is  well  to  guard  carefully  against  ex- 
tremes, both  in  respect  to  exercise  and  rejDose.  Excessive 
exertion  is  positively  dangerous  to  most  persons  of  tliree- 
score  years ;  and  too  much  repose  may  readily  degenerate 
into  bodily  and  mental  inertia. 

In  this  connection  I  venture  to  speak  of  the  indulgence 
of  appetite,  in  which  moderation,  at  all  times  the  dictate  of 
wisdom,  is  especially  so  at  this  period  of  life.  It  is  a  great 
mistake  to  cultivate  an  unnatural  abstemiousness  in  old 
age  ;  for  then,  if  ever,  the  system  needs  the  support  of  its 
usual  aliment  as  far  as  a  well-regulated  appetite  suggests. 
It  is  as  mischievous  to  restrain  a  moderate  desire  for  food,  as 
to  indulge  a  morbid  craving  for  it  beyond  due  bounds,  in 
any  season  of  life.  And  to  keep  up  the  proper  habit  in 
this  respect  it  is  of  the  utmost  consequence  to  see  well  to 
it  that  the  digestion  be  healthful  and  regular.  Without 
this,  appetite  will  fail,  or  become  morbid,  and  general  de- 
rangement, or  at  least  languor,  will  ensue.  The  nervous 
life  must  be  kept  from  decline,  if  the  mental  powers  are  to 
be  preserved  from  corresponding  weakness.  But  on  all 
these  points  the  advice  of  a  judicious  physician  should  be 
sought.  I  only  refer  to  them  here,  because  they  are  so 
often  overlooked  by  aged  persons  until  the  mental  forces 
are  hopelessly  impaired  through  the  premature  loss  of 
physical  power,  and  especially  the  weakening  of  the  nerv- 


70  FIFTY  YEAE8  AND  BEYOND. 

ous  energies.  But  one  single  word  of  caution  before  I 
leave  this  part  of  the  subject.  I  have  learned  from  long 
observation  that  habitual  solicitude  about  one's  bodily 
health  is  sufficient  to  counteract  all  the  beneficial  efiects  of 
the  best  hygienic  precautions  or  treatment. 

2.  In  the  second  place,  the  person  who  has  passed  the 
meridian  of  life,  must  be  careful  not  to  relax  mental  exer- 
tion, except  by  very  slow  degrees,  if  he  would  keep  his 
mind  bright  and .  vigorous.  There  is  at  this  period,  an 
almost  uniform  tendency  to  shun  arduous  mental  effort. 
But  yielding  overmuch  to  this  tendency  is  like  using  glasses 
to  aid  the  sight  prematurely,  or  changing  one's  glasses  to 
lower  numbers  before  it  becomes  really  necessary.  It 
aggravates  the  difficulty.  It  accelerates  the  decline  of  the 
natural  forces. 

Some  men  go  out  of  business,  and  others  abandon  their 
professional  pursuits,  as  soon  as  advanced  age  begins  to 
come  on,  having  acquired  sufficient  means  for  the  support 
of  themselves  and  their  families,  or  from  the  sheer  desire 
of  rest.  Such  a  policy  is  most  unwise  ;  for  the  reason  that 
we  all  need  some  pressure  upon  us  as  a  sjjur  to  continued 
mental  activity.  And  without  a  persistent  use  of  the 
mental  faculties  they  will  inevitably  lose  their  vigor  before 
the  time.  I  have  observed  for  many  years  that  those  who 
relinquish  their  pursuits  while  they  have  yet  health  and 
strength  for  the  prosecution  of  their  callings,  are  accus- 
tomed to  suffer  loss  by  the  rapid  decline  of  both  their  phys- 
ical and  intellectual  powers.  A  man  who  has  no  regular 
duties  to  perform  will  seldom  tax  himself  with  efforts  which 


MENTAL   VIGOR  IN  ADVANCED  LIFE.    71 

he  may  easily  neglect.  He  may  resolve  to  keep  up  liis 
reading  and  studies,  or  to  give  liis  attention  to  the  exciting 
questions  of  the  times.  But  his  thinking  will  grow  increas- 
ingly languid,  and  he  will  gradually  sink  into  the  habit  of 
recurring  to  the  past  for  the  food  of  his  mind,  and  will 
soon  fall  behind  the  acting  generation  in  point  of  intellect- 
ual brightness  and  ready  intelligence.  I  would  say  to 
every  elderly  man,  aim  to  "die  with  the  harness  on."  It 
may  not  be  wise  to  keep  the  shoulder  under  the  same 
heavy  burdens  that  were  borne  in  middle  life.  But  it  is 
wise,  relaxing  somewhat  the  tension  of  the  mind,  to  hold 
on  in  bearing  such  responsibilities  as  will  require  the  high- 
est degrees  of  mental  exertion  that  may  be  put  forth  with- 
out a  sense  of  oppression  to  mind  or  body.  And  the  more 
agreeable  one  can  make  his  regular  employments  the  better 
for  his  mental  health. 

It  is  worthy  of  note,  how  many  great  men  have  persevered 
in  their  mental  labors  up  to  very  advanced  years.  Milton 
did  not  finish  his  Paradise  Lost  until  he  was  about  fifty- 
seven  years  old.  Humboldt  wrote  his  greatest  work,  the 
Cosmos,  after  he  was  seventy-five.  John  Quincy  Adams 
was  an  active  member  of  Congress  until  he  was  eighty 
years  of  age,  and  discussed  almost  every  important  ques- 
tion that  came  up  in  the  House  while  he  was  a  member  of 
it.  Dr.  Nathaniel  Emmons  made  some  of  his  most  elabo- 
rate investigations  after  his  seventieth  year.  And  Dr.  Mur- 
doch studied  the  Syriac  language  after  he  was  sixty,  and 
published  his  translation  of  the  Syriac  New  Testament  when 
he  was  seventy.     Thus  many  men  have  accomplished  nmch 


12  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

of  their  best  work,  in  a  period  of  life  whicli  many  others 
have  needlessly  given  up  to  sluggish  repose.  It  is  a  great 
waste  to  abandon  intellectual  effort  before  the  time,  and  it 
hastens  not  only  mental  decline,  but  physical  decay  and 
death.  Our  minds  were  given  us  to  be  continuously  em- 
ployed for  beneficent  e'nds,  as  long  as  the  requisite  vigor 
may  be  retained. 

But  let  me  suggest  some  particular  respects  in  which  it 
is  especially  important  to  watch  against  the  loss  of  mental 
energy,  and  some  methods  by  which  the  force  and  vivacity 
of  the  intellectual  faculties  may  be  preserved. 

The  memory  is  usually  the  first  power  of  the  mind  to 
fail  in  point  of  ready  service.  This  all  experience  proves. 
Nor  is  it  possible  to  guard  fully  against  this  common  mis- 
fortune of  elderly  persons.  But  it  may  be  mitigated  in 
a  large  measure  by  judicious  means.  The  exercise  of  the 
memory  depends  very  much  upon  two  laws  or  causes.  The 
law  of  association  is  the  first.  By  this  we  are  enabled  to 
recall  events  by  recurring  to  the  connections  in  which  we 
have  noted  them.  And  it  is  wise  for  every  person  who 
finds  his  memory  beginning  to  fail,  to  be  careful  to  mai-k 
each  particular  which  he  would  recall,  in  some  of  its  more 
important  relations,  so  as  to  associate  it  with  something 
else  which  he  knows  he  may  readily  recover,  and  by  the 
aid  of  which  he  may  bring  back  the  item  in  question. 
Thus,  a  person  may  associate  some  thought  of  a  speaker 
which  he  wishes  to  remember,  with  the  man  who  uttered 
it,  and  the  place  where  he  heard  it,  and  so  be  enabled  to 
reproduce  it  without  much  difficulty.     I  have  long  been  in 


MENTAL   VIGOR  IN  ADVANCED  LIFE.    73 


the  habit  of  associating  iianies  with  their  initial  letter,  and 
in  this  vvaj  I  frequently  recover  a  name,  with  a  little  reflec- 
tion, which  I  cannot  recall  at  first.  But  to  make  this 
method  of  memory  by  association  available  in  advancing 
life,  it  is  often  necessary  to  make  an  effort  to  impress  upon 
the  mind  the  connection  in  which  an  event  or  particular  is  to 
be  found,  so  as  to  help  in  the  recollection  of  the  place  in 
the  map  of  the  memory  where  it  belongs. 

The  other  law  of  memory  to  be  considered  is,  that  the 
ease  of  recalling  anything  depends  very  much  upon  the 
special  interest  that  has  been  awakened  in  the  mind  in  con- 
nection with  the  object  or  fact  to  be  remembered.  In  old 
age  it  is  more  difficult  to  excite  an  interest  in  passing  events 
than  in  youth  or  middle  age,  partly  because  like  events  are 
already  familiar  to  the  mind  of  the  older  person,  and 
partly  because  he  is  less  accustomed  to  give  his  attention 
to  particular  incidents  than  the  younger  person.  But 
attention  and  interest,  being  necessary  in  order  to  the 
activity  of  the  memory  in  any  given  case,  it  is  the  more 
incnmbent  on  the  aged  person  to  school  his  habits  of  atten- 
tion so  as  to  keep  up,  as  far  as  possible,  a  lively  interest  in 
passing  occurrences,  and  thus  to  quicken  his  power  of 
reproducing  them  at  pleasure.  This  requires  constant 
efl:brt,  but  it  will  pay  well  for  what  it  costs. 

Regularity  in  the  exercise  of  the  mental  faculties  fulfills 
an  important  condition  of  their  continued  healthful  activity. 
It  is  the  fault  of  many  elderly  persons  that  their  intellect- 
ual activity  is  at  some  times  intense,  and  at  other  times 
greatlv  relaxed.     Especially  is  this  true  of  men  who  have 


14:  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

no  definite  employment,  and  are  only  excited  to  mental 
exertion  by  peculiar  events  or  circumstances.  In  such 
cases  the  mental  faculties  are  on  some  occasions  overtasked, 
while  in  ordinary  conditions,  they  are  suffered  to  grow 
sluggish.  It  is  obvious  that  such  a  habit  must  tend  to  im- 
pair the  steady  vigor  of  the  mind.  Daily  and  uniform 
mental  exertion  are  the  price  to  be  paid  for  long-continued 
mental  force.  And  accordingly  we  find  that  those  men 
whose  faculties  have  held  out  the  longest  in  useful  service, 
are  those  whose  intellectual  habits  have  been  the  most  reg- 
ular and  stead3^  Thus  students  of  nature,  professors  in 
institutions  ot  learning,  and  ministers  of  the  Gospel,  are 
most  likely  to  hold  out  in  mental  power  to  a  good  old  age. 
It  is  of  great  value  to  aged  persons  to  maintain  their 
habits  of  reading  in  the  line  of  the  living  age.  It  is  pro- 
verbial that  the  old  are  prone  to  think  that  ' '  the  former 
times  were  better  than  these."  One  reason  of  this,  doubt- 
less is,  that  they  live  mainly  in  the  past,  and  do  not  keep 
abreast  of  the  times  by  reading  and  other  means  of  infor- 
mation and  culture.  A  man  must  be  conversant  with  pres- 
ent events,  to  be  able  to  estimate  them  aright ;  and  the 
general  reading  of  living  literature  and  news  will  tend  to 
keep  him  in  sympathy  with  the  actoi's  on  the  stage,  and  to 
compare  justly  the  present  with  the  2:)ast.  If,  moreover, 
a  person  would  keep  lijs  mind  quickened  and  energetic  he 
must  commune  habitually  with  the  thinking  men  of  the 
age  now  passing.  No  man  can  derive  impulse  and  spirit 
frojn  those  who  have  gone  from  the  world,  as  from  those 
who  are  living  and  moving  ai'ound  him.     As  the  aged  ab- 


MENTAL   VIGOR  IN  ADVANCED  LIFE.   Y5 

sorb  physical  life  from  the  young  by  close  contact  with 
tlieni,  so  they  draw  fresh  mental  vigor  from  their  daily 
intercourse  with  the  young  thought  of  the  acting  world. 
Let  every  man  in  his  declining  years  keep  up  his  habits  of 
reading  the  freshest  books  and  periodicals,  and  he  will  reap 
the  reward  in  the  intellectual  stimulus  which  he  will  bor- 
row from  younger  minds. 

The  like  may  be  said  also,  in  regard  to  the  habitual  study 
of  living  subjects.  The  aged  man  is  prone  to  dwell  upon 
the  themes  that  interested  him  most  in  his  earlier  years. 
But  many  of  those  topics  have  lost  their  hold  upon  the 
public  mind.  The  subjects  that  now  occupy  the  attention 
of  the  people  are  mainly  new,  or  have  assumed  new  forms. 
And  if  a  man  is  not  conscious  that  his  thinking  is  running 
parallel  with  that  of  other  men  of  the  acting  generation, 
he  will  by  degrees  lose  the  activity  of  liis  thought.  Every 
one  needs  the  quickening  influence  of  the  stirring  world  on 
every  side  of  him  to  keep  his  mind  awake  and  vigorous. 
The  theological  questions,  the  political  questions,  the  lit- 
erary questions,  the  social  questions  of  the  present  hour, 
are  the  ones  to  engage  our  interest  and  keep  our  intellect- 
ual fiiculties  on  the  alert.  By  dwelling  upon  such  living 
themes  we  are  aided  in  our  mental  activity,  as  our  senses 
are  kept  awake  on  a  journey  by  the  scenes  through  which 
we  are  passing  and  not  by  those  which  we  witnessed  some- 
where else  years  ago. 

On  the  same  principle  it  behooves  every  aged  person  to 
maintain  his  habits  of  intercourse  with  living  society.  The 
old  are  tempted  to  withdraw,  in  a  great  measure,  from  soci- 


76  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

et}^  either  from  lack  of  sjnipatlij  witli  the  joung,  or  from 
the  apprehension  that  tlieir  presence  is  not  welcome.  An 
earnest  effort  should  be  made  to  overcome  this  tendency, 
both  for  the  sake  of  others,  and  our  own  benefit. 

By  the  continued  cultivation  of  social  habits,  it  is  possi- 
ble for  almost  every  aged  person  to  mingle  in  general  soci- 
ety with  pleasure  and  profit,  and  at  the  same  time  to 
minister  to  the  satisfaction  and  enjoyment  of  others.  We 
are  brought  into  the  closest  contact  with  other  minds  b}'- 
personal  intercourse  with  them ;  and  the  quickening  influ- 
ences of  society  are  therefore  fitted  to  contribute  to  our 
continued  mental  vivacity  as  nothing  else  can.  It  is  tor 
this  reason  that  social  persons  are  in  most  cases  mentally 
bright,  and  often  even  brilliant,  when  the  sere  leaves  of 
advanced  autumn  are  almost  ready  to  fall.  If  we  would 
keep  our  minds  astir  with  youthful  spirit,  let  us  keep  our- 
selves in  the  atmosphere  of  the  young  and  acting  genera- 
tion. 

3.  Need  I  suggest,  in  this  connection,  the  importance 
of  maintaining  habitual  control  over  the  feelings  and  pas- 
sions ?  A  man  who  gives  way  to  raoroseness  and  fretful- 
ness,  or  to  restless  discontent,  or  to  a  fault-finding  spirit,  as 
age  advances,  will  inevitably  lose  the  power  of  command- 
ing his  intellectual  faculties  to  good  purpose.  For  how 
can  he  use  his  mental  energies  well  if  an  irritable  spirit 
has  the  inastery  over  him  ?  Calmness  of  mind  is  an  essen- 
tial condition  of  well-balanced  intellectual  activity.  The 
indulged  excitability  of  harsh  tempers  is  frequently  a  most 
serious   obstacle   to   the   best  exercise  of  the  intellectual 


MENTAL   VIGOR  IN  ADVANCED  LIFE.    17 

powers  ill  the  cases  of  aged  persons  who  from  impaired 
nervous  health  or  from  unrestrained  habits  lose  the  need- 
ful rule  over  their  own  spirits.  Such  persons  are  verily 
"like  a  city  broken  down  and  without  walls;''  while  '"he 
tliat  is  slow  to  anger  is  better  than  the  mighty  ;  and  he 
that  ruletli  his  spirit  than  he  that  taketh  a  city,"  both  in 
respect  to  the  comfort  of  others  and  the  healthful  activity 
of  his  mental  faculties  in  every  direction.  Watchfulness  at 
this  point  grows  increasingly  necessary  with  the  progress  of 
years.  For  experience  teaches  the  mischiefs  of  iU-regu- 
lated  passions  in  that  period  of  life  when  sereneness  of 
mind  ought  to  crown  the  glory  of  the  setting  sun. 

4.  One  other  condition  of  long-continued  and  well-poised 
mental  activity,  is  habitual  cheerfulness.  A  sombre  tem- 
per, though  not  characterized  by  special  excitability,  is 
like  a  sullen  cloud  hanging  over  all  the  mental  faculties. 
Sunlight  is  needful  to  keep  vegetation  alive  and  vigorous 
in  the  material  world  ;  and  so  a  cheerful  spirit  is  essential 
not  only  to  the  buoyant  elasticity  of  the  mind  in  youth  and 
middle  life,  but  especially  to  its  protracted  vigor  in  later 
years.  If  a  gloomy  disposition  is  sometimes  present  where 
the  intellectual  powers  continue  active  three  or  fourscore 
years,  this  is  not  habitually  so.  In  the  great  majority  of 
cases  a  cheerful  temper  goes  along  with  a  healthful  mental 
activity  as  long  as  life  lasts.  This  fact  is  brought  forward 
in  this  connection  for  the  reason  that  in  the  latter  end  of 
life  there  are  often  peculiar  occasions  of  mental  depression, 
which  it  is  difficult  to  resist,  so  as  to  keep  up  a  cheerful  and 
joyous  habit.     But  it  is  possible  by  special  effort  to  culti- 


78  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

vate  such  a  spirit,  even  in  tlie  anticipation  of  the  dark 
hour  that  must  come  to  aU.  It  is  well,  in  old  age,  to  think 
often  upon  the  brighter  passages  in  former  life,  to  keep  the 
mind  intent  upon  some  present  duty,  and  to  cultivate  that 
Christian  fiiith  vt^hich  "looks  beyond  the  bounds  of  time," 
in  forecasting  the  glorious  morning  that  is  to  follow  the 
approaching  night.  Thus  the  spirit  will  be  preserved  in  a 
mood  most  favorable  to  continued  intellectual  life,  and  the 
pleasures  of  a  good  conscience  and  of  an  assured  hope  will 
shine  out  in  the  countenance  and  shed  their  radiance  over 
the  whole  soul,  until  the  brighter  light  of  the  coming  day 
shall  introduce  the  springtime  of  immortal  youth. 


MENTAL   ENERGIES  IN  OLD  AGE. 

To  die  as  Plato  died,  with  pen  in  hand,  is  the  ideal  close 
of  life  to  every  lover  and  follower  <^f  intellectual  work. 
The  thought  of  a  second  childhood  is  intolerable.  A  man's 
intellectual  life  will  be  paralyzed  and  his  tliirst  for  knowl- 
edge quenched  and  his  usefulness  consequently  dimin- 
ished, if  he  liave  the  conviction  that  a  decline  of  mental 
vigor  inevitably  awaits  him  as  he  verges  toward  the 
seventies. 

On  the  other  hand,  it  is  not  easy  to  over-estimate  the 
inspiration  and  progressive  spirit  which  will  be  wrought 
into  the  very  life  of  the  intellect  by  the  controlling  idea 
that  the  power  of  thought  shall  move  as  deeply,  as  vigor- 
orously,  and  with  keener  and  nicer  discrimination  at  its 
setting  than  at  its  meridian.     Both  ideas  have  been  dis- 


MENTAL   VIGOR  IN  ADVANCED  LIFE.    79 


cussed,  and  both  are  influential  in  the  minds  of  men,  now 
as  ever. 

In  point  of  fact  there  is  no  necessity  for  a  loss  of  mental 
vigor  with  the  advance  of  years.  God  has  provided  for 
ceaseless  growth  here  as  elsewhere  among  the  higher 
forces  of  human  nature.  No  Christian  thinker  is  bold 
enough  to  affirm  that  men  of  right  purposes  cannot,  do  not, 
and  are  not  bound  to  grow  in  purity  and  strength  of  char- 
acter at  any  age. 

Under  certain  conditions,  then,  there  need  not  be  any 
decline  of  mental  vigor  with  advance  in  years  in  the  ordi- 
nary professions  of  life.  The  distinction  between  hard 
work  and  suicidal  work  must  never  be  lost  sight  of  here. 
Exceptions  are  also  to  be  cleared  out  of  our  way — such  as 
those  who  are  freighted  with  inherited  disease,  and  those 
who  in  youth  or  throughout  life  seriously  sin  against  the 
laws  of  health.  AYith  these  limitations,  there  are  three 
things  obedience  to  which  will  secure,  in  all  ordinary  cases, 
a  continuance  in  intellectual  growth. 

The  first  is  obedience  to  the  laws  of  health.  Sleep,  air, 
exercise,  appropriate  food,  and  careful  appropriation  of  the 
food,  are  necessities  here.  In  these  days  we  hear  a  great 
deal  about  the  "sleepless  mind."  A  fine  phrase,  but  if 
taken  literally,  precisely  equivalent  to  the  "thoughtless 
mind."  So  also  with  the  matter  of  food.  How  can  a 
man's  blood  be  at  his  brain  when  it  is  driving  the  digestive 
organs,  which  are  endeavoring  to  dispose  of  the  square 
inches  of  roast  beef  lying  in  their  immediate  vicinity  ^ 
Everybody  knows  this,  but  we  must  be  doers  of  the  word, 


80  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

and  not  hearers  only,  if  the  idea  of  mental  growth  is  to  be 
realized. 

The  second  thing  to  be  observed  is  regular,  systematic 
brain-work.  Storms  of  thought,  or  doing  up  the  thinking 
of  a  year  in  a  few  excited  hours,  may  seem  very  grand,  but 
it  does  not  contain  the  law  of  progress.  "Whenever  we 
hear  any  one  in  raptures  over  this  method  we  are  always 
reminded  of  Lyman  Beecher's  comparison  of  spasmodic 
charity  with  a  servant  girl's  attempt  to  boil  the  kettle  with 
a  blaze  of  straw.  The  muscular  development  is  the  law  of 
mental,  systematic  and  adequate  exercise.  Every  time  the 
blacksmith  swings  his  hammer  he  either  increases  the 
strength  of  his  arm  or  preserves  what  he  has  acquired. 
And  the  man  who  does  his  thinking  with  the  same  industry 
and  conscientiousness  will  experience  moi-e  surprising 
results  in  the  same  direction.  This  law  will  not  trammel 
liim,  as  he  may  think  it  will  his  brother  at  the  anvil,  as  age 
advances.  The  parallel  of  mental  and  nmscular  develop- 
ment under  the  law  of  systematic  and  adequate  exercise  is 
not  complete,  because  of  the  diversity  of  the  subjects  on 
which  it  acts. 

A  third  element  which  makes  for  intellectual  growth  is 
a  high  moral  purpose  behind  the  faculty  of  thought.  This 
keeps  the  mind  in  harmony  with  itself,  and  gives  it  a  bal- 
ance and  an  inspiration  which  can  be  derived  from  no  other 
source. 

A  few  illustrations  may  serve  to  point  the  moral.  Web- 
ster replied  to  Hayne  at  48,  to  Calhoun  on  "Nullification" 
at  51,  and  made  his  Tth  of  March  speech  when   68  years 


MENTAL  VIGOR  IN  ADVANCED  LIFE.   81 

old.  Franklin,  as  liis  biographer  tells  us,  died  "  in  the 
84:th  year  of  his  age;  his  mental  faculties  playing  with 
unimpaired  energy. ' ' 

Dr.  Chalmers  was  found  by  Dean  Stanley  only  a  few 
weeks  before  his  death  (67)  hard  at  work  on  the  "Rise  and 
Fall  of  the  Roman  Empire."  Thomas  Reid,  the  Scottish 
philosopher,  wrote  some  of  the  most  valuable  of  his  works 
after  his  T5th  year;  and  Dr.  Pond,  of  Bangor,  in  his  90th 
year,  is  still  a  vigorous  and  fruitful  writer. 

The  public  policies  of  Europe  have  been  for  the  last  de- 
cade in  the  hands  of  men  whose  ripe  age  has  undoubtedly 
been  an  important  factor  in  the  success  of  their  adminis- 
trations, and  whose  bold  and  aggressive  movements  have 
displayed  none  of  the  conservatism  usually  associated  with 

advanced  years. 

— The  Christian  Umcm. 


CHRISTIAN  MEN  AND  THEIR  WORK  AT  FIFTY 
AND  BEYOND. 

Eev.  Glen  "Wood. 


,■„..■  ..^^-..ttttt; 


WA 


Rv^X'^WWii^K'-Aa; 


UMAN  life  is  not  only  a  precious  gift,  but  is 
also  a  sacred  trust,  —a  talent  committed  to 
our  care,  to  be  used  for  the  honor  of  the 
great  Author  of  Life,  and  for  which  an  ac- 
count must  be  rendered  at  last.  And  this  is  true  not  only 
of  life  as  a  whole,  but  of  its  various  periods. 

The  command  is,  "Occupy  till  I  come."  This  com- 
mand of  the  Savior  is  enforced  by  his  example,  as  expressed 
in  his  own  words,  "I  must  work  the  works  of  Him  that 
sent  me,  while  it  is  day."  The  mandate  of  Solomon  is, 
"  Whatsoever  thy  hand  findeth  to  do,  do  it  with  thy  might, 
for  there  is  no  work  in  the  grave,  whither  thou  goest." 
There  is  work  here,  this  side  the  grave, — work  noio,  while 
the  day  lasts,  work,  till  he  comes,  then  rest,  blessed,  eternal 
rest. 

The  obligations  of  life  bind  us  to  work  in  the  vineyard 
of  our  Lord  while  the  ability  to  work  lasts,  and  to  work  up 
to  the  full  measure  of  that  ability  until  our  honorable  dis- 
charge comes.  The  work  of  Christian  men  at  the  differ- 
ent periods  of  life  may  vary,  according  to  the  peculiarities 
uf  their  strength  and  circumstances ;  but  the  obligation  to 

82 


CniilSTIAN  MEN  AND  TSEIR  WORK.    83 

work,  to  do  earnestly  and  clieerfullj  what  their  hands  find 
to  do,  is  an  imperative  one,  from  which  there  can  be  no  re- 
lease until  life  closes  or  the  ability  to  work  is  withdrawn. 

It  is  certain  that  men  of  virtuous  habits  and  active  life 
are  not  worn  out  at  fifty  years  of  age,  but  on  the  contrary 
they  are  then  often  in  the  very  prime  of  life,  and  fitted  for 
the  most  efficient  and  successful  exercise  of  their  talents 
and  faculties.  Many  have  accomplished  vastly  more  for 
the  Master  and  the  world,  after  this  period  of  life,  than 
before  it. 

It  is  therefore  pertinent  to  inquire :  What  should  Chris- 
tian men  proj)ose  to  themselves  at  fifty  years  of  age  and 
after?  Surely  it  should  not  be  the  fool's  policy,  "Soul, 
thou  hast  much  goods  laid  up  for  many  years,  take  thine 
ease,  eat,  drink,  and  be  merry." 

Those  who  have  been  reared  by  wise  and  faithful  parents, 
and  have  led  Christian  lives,  are  free  from  the  cruel  eflfects 
of  carnal  self-indulgence.  They  find  themselves  at  life's 
midday  in  the  possession  of  cultivated  minds  and  pure 
hearts,  in  sound  and  vigorous  bodies.  They  are  well  fitted 
for  many  years  of  happy,  efficient  and  successful  work,  in 
just  the  time  when  Christian  work  has  larger  promise  and 
hope  than  ever  before.  They  have  knowledge,  experience, 
wisdom  and  understanding,  and  are  qualified  to  speak  with 
authority  and  influence.  They  are  able  to  discern  the  signs 
of  the  times.  They  see  the  world  moved  by  the  great 
questions  involved  in  the  Christian  Faith  as  never  before. 
They  see  the  principles  of  civil  and  religious  liberty  perme- 
ating  the   populations   of  the  world,    and  lifting   up   the 


84  FIFTY  YFARS  AND  BEYOND. 


nations  to  higher  planes  of  intelligence  and  activity.  They 
Tcnow  the  word  and  truth  of  God,  and  they  are  able  to 
speak  confidently,  after  long  experience  of  the  power  of 
the  word  and  the  grace  of  God  to  dignify  and  ennoble  man- 
kind. They  find  at  their  command  such  facilities  for  suc- 
cessful Christian  work,  and  opening  before  them  such 
marvelous  opportunities  for  usefulness  as  have  distin- 
guished no  former  age. 

Surely,  such  men,  with  such  rare  qualifications,  and  living 
in  such  eventful  times,  would  be  recreant  to  their  most  sol- 
emn obligations  and  cliargeable  with  the  grossest  folly  were 
they  to  throw  away  their  influence  and  settle  down  to  a 
life  of  inglorious  ease. 

The  young  are  taught  in  the  sacred  word  to  give  respect 
and  honor  to  the  counsels  of  age.  And  that  such  counsels 
may  command  and  warrant  this  respect  and  honor,  men  of 
mature  and  advanced  years  should  carefully  and  constantly 
use  all  their  opportunities  and  advantages.  They  should 
walk  with  great  confidence  in  God,  and  with  the  full  assur- 
ance of  hope,  showing  that  they  have  not  served  the  Lord 
in  vain,  and  that  their  trials,  and  their  experiences  of 
Divine  Grace  have  thoroughly  confirmed  and  established 
them  in  the  knowledge  and  love  of  God,  and  in  the  joyful 
expectation  of  His  coming.  They  should  exhibit  in  their 
lives  that  personal  self-control  and  subjugation  of  the 
appetites  and  passions,  and  that  development  of  Christian 
graces  which  clearly  indicate  that  they  have  "passed  from 
death  unto  life,  and  that  their  lives  are  hid  with  Christ  in 
God."     Especially,   should   they,    by  their   patience   and 


CHRISTIAN  MEN  AND  THEIR   WORK.    85 

cheerfulness  in  the  sufferings  and  infirmities  of  growing 
years,  give  to  all,  the  demonstration  of  the  peculiar  value 
and  power  of  divine  grace — and  thus  by  the  influence  of 
their  example  of  holy  living  work  for  the  Master. 

Such  a  man  .finding  himself  well  established  in  a  good 
and  profitable  business,  will  find  a  most  pleasant  and  useful 
work  in  continuing  the  conduct  of  his  business,  first,  as  a 
matter  of  profitable  employment  for  himself;  and  sec- 
ondly, as  a  school  of  trade  in  which  boys  and  young  men 
may  be  taught  under  his  experienced  eye,  and  trained  for 
the  responsibilities  of  personal  trusts,  and  then  sent  forth 
to  engage  in  business,  either  for  themselves  or  to  occupy 
positions  of  trust  and  responsibility  in  the  service  of 
others. 

Why  may  not  experienced  and  successful  business  men 
of  fifty  years  and  beyond,  whom  God  has  prospered  and 
blessed  with  wealth,  use  their  talents  and  experience  and 
business  for  the  training  of  others  to  be  a  blessing  in  the 
world  ]  Why  may  not  business  houses,  often  having  more 
employees  than  the  number  of  students  in  our  colleges,  be- 
come practical  schools  of  art  and  trade,  and  the  men  of 
age  and  experience  in  them  become  practically  presidents 
and  professors  ?  It  is  an  established  fact  that  ninety-four 
to  ninety-eight  per  cent,  of  business  men  fail.  Cannot 
such  a  disastrous  record  be  changed  by  the  experienced 
and  successful  men  of  fifty  and  beyond  in  some  such  way 
as  indicated  above  ? 

In  this  connection  may  be  mentioned  another  important 
method  of  improving  the  means  at  command  and  rendering 


S6  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

valuable  service  to  tliese  trained  young  men,  and  through 
them  to  the  world.  When  a  young  man  trained  in  such  a 
school  of  trade  is  ready  to  go  forth  to  his  work,  he  is  often 
without  means,  and  needs  a  small  capital  upon  which  to 
commence  business.  Hia  instructor  knowing  his  abilities 
and  trustworthiness,  may  render  him  most  important  ser- 
vice, b}''  giving  him  an  interest  in  the  business  of  his  own 
house^  or  by  advancing  him  the  means  upon  which  he  may 
commence  business  on  his  own  account — his  advances  to 
be  repaid  from  the  profits  of  the  business  within  a  speci- 
fied time,  with  interest,  to  be  again  used  in  aiding  some 
other  young  man  to  plant  a  new  business.  In  this  way 
trained  young  men  of  ability  and  integrity  may  be  enabled 
to  enter  upon  a  successful  business  career  and  grow  up  to 
become  the  successors  to  their  instructors  when  they  shall 
be  called  from  labor  to  rest.  Thus  "bread  cast  upon  the 
warters  will  be  found  after  many  days." 

Business  men  at  fifty  and  beyond  should  continue 
their  business  relations  and  pursuits  that  they  may  gather 
means  to  be  employed  in  the  Master's  cause. 

At  this  time  of  life  they  are  specially  fitted  to  prosecute 
with  success  their  business. 

They  have  large  experience,  extensive  business  acquaint- 
ance and  relations,  and  can  command  the  necessary  ccipi'"'""' 
for  the  successful  prosecution  of  business.  This  is  the 
endowment  of  the  ten  talents,  for  the  proper  improvement 
of  which  they  will  be  held  responsible. 

And  though  they  may  have  gained  all  they  need  for 
t]*eraselv^s  and  families,  that  will. not  justify  them  in  abau- 


CHRISTIAN  MEN  AND  THEIR   ^\ORK.    87 

doning  the  business  pursuits  for  which  all  their  previous 
life  has  only  been  a  preparation,  at  a  time  when  they  are 
eminently  fitted  for  its  successful  prosecution.  Let  then<x 
now  "be  diligent  in  business,"  as  well  as  "fervent  in 
spirit,  serving  the  Lord."  Let  them  embrace  their  oppor- 
tunities to  make  money,  to  be  used  for  the  glory  of  God  in 
the  well-being  of  mankind.  This  will  render  their  life  a 
consecrated  one.  They  will  be  able  with  a  liberal  hand  to 
scatter  blessings  for  the  relief  of  suffering,  the  comfort  of 
the  sorrowing,  and  the  extension  of  the  Redeemer's  king- 
dom. In  this  work  they  can  glorify  God  as  they  can  in  no 
other  way,  and  bring  richer  blessings  to  the  race  than  by 
a  life  of  elegant  indolence. 

One  distinguished  man  in  New  York,  contemporaneous 
with  the  nineteenth  century,  had  resolved  to  retire  from 
business  when  he  should  reach  the  age  of  fifty.  But  upon 
reaching  that  age,  and  finding  himself  sound  in  body, 
clear  in  mind,  loving  in  heart  toward  God  and  man,  and 
well  established  in  business,  he  felt  that  he  could  not  act 
the  fool's  part,  but  resolved  to  go  on  and  do  all  he  could; 
and  since  he  had  all  he  needed  of  this  world's  goods,  he  de- 
termined to  use  the  means  his  Lord  might  give  him  from 
that  time  in  doing  His  work  among  men.  About  as  many 
years  have  since  transpired  as  had  then  been  devoted  to 
business.  God  has  blessed  that  man.  Large  sums  of 
money  have  been  turned  into  the  Lord's  treasury,  and  mul- 
titudes of  men  to-day  call  that  men  blessed. 

Thus  may  Christian  men  of  fifty  and  beyond  become 
the  almoners  of  their  own  estates.     They  may  distribute 


88  FItTY  YEAR 8  AND  BEYOND. 

according  to  their  own  best  judgment  the  means  God  has 
given  them,  and  experience  the  peculiar  pleasure  of  giving, 
in  learning  that  it  is  more  blessed  to  give  than  to  receive. 

But  while  thus  engaged  in  business,  holding  in  their 
hands  the  reins,  other  and  younger  men  may  look  after  its 
details  and  bear  its  burdens,  giving  them  leisure  time  to 
be  employed  in  the  various  work  of  the  Christian  life. 

Consecrated  business  men  working  for  Christ.  This  is 
one  of  the  wants  of  the  church,  and  when  such  men  are 
found,  they  become  an  element  of  great  power. 

Such  men,  at  the  head  of  large  business  establishments, 
may  exert  a  wonderful  influence  over  their  employees  in 
leading  them  to  Christ  and  ti'aining  them  in  holy  and  use- 
ful lives  by  direct  personal  labor  in  their  behalf. 

The  writer  was  once  solicited  by  an  earnest  Christian 
business  man  to  visit  his  establishment  and  labor  with  the 
men  in  his  employ.  But  there  was  neither  time  nor  oppor- 
tunity for  the  men  or  the  visitor,  for  such  work,  amid  the 
roar  of  the  machinery  of  the  mill.  Not  long  after,  that 
good  man  found  that  he  himself  could  do  the  Christian 
work  desired  much  more  successfully  than  any  stranger. 
An  extra  room  in  his  oflice,  and  a  private  room  in  his  own 
house,  furnished  the  places  where  he  could  take  his  men 
as  opportunity  offered,  and  teach  them  the  great  principles 
of  the  Gospel  of  the  Son  of  God  and  lead  them  to  the 
blessed  Saviour. 

In  the  great  revival  in  Chicago  in  1876-7,  under  the 
evangelists  Moody  and  Sankey,  some  of  the  Christian  pro- 
prietors  of  the  business  houses  of  that  city  opened  meet- 


CHRISTIAN  MEN  AND  THEIR   WORK     89 

ings  for  their  employees,  which  hundreds  of  them  attended. 
In  such  ways,  business  men  of  age  and  experience  and 
established  religious  character,  may  make  a  successful  busi- 
ness the  means  of  new  and  untold  good  to  men.  They 
may  pass  down  to  posterity  a  race  of  Christian  business 
men,  whose  value  to  the  church  and  the  country  shall  be 
beyond  computation.  Let  Christian  business  men  remem- 
ber that  their  employees  and  subordinates  are  something 
more  than  mere  machines  for  making  money.  That  they 
have  immortal  souls— redeemed  by  precious  blood — and 
that  their  relations  to  them  give  them  rare  opportunities  of 
leading  them  to  Christ  and  training  them  for  usefulness. 

Consecrated  business  men  may  greatly  influence  for 
good  their  business  associates — by  personal  effort  for  and 
with  them.  They  will  have  this  advantage  over  ministers. 
Their  efforts  are  not  professional,  and  they  will  escape  the 
prejudice  which  always  meets  a  minister  in,  "O  well,  it  is 
his  business."  Men  in  their  own  sphere  of  life  will  appre- 
ciate their  efforts  in  their  behalf,  knowing  that  they  are 
prompted  alone  by  love  for  their  souls. 

Men  of  advanced  years,  who  have  been  trained  in  the 
school  of  Christ,  should  have  a  store  of  knowledge  gained 
by  the  study  of  the  word,  by  their  own  experience,  and  by 
the  practice  of  Christian  virtues  which  especially  qualify 
them  to  be  counselors.  To  aged  men  the  human  mind 
looks  for  knowledge  and  judgment.  To  them  also  the 
commands  of  God  direct  attention  for  the  same  thing. 
They  are  expected  to  sit  in  the  gates  as  counselors.  Be- 
fore them  the  people  are  required  to  wait  with  respectful 


90  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND 

attention  and  to  give  heed  to  their  words.  It  is  therefore 
the  duty  and  the  honor  of  these  men  to  be  always  ready 
to  give  reasons  for  the  hopes  they  entertain,  and  also  to 
give  counsel  and  help  to  all  to  whom  the  Master  may  send 
them,  or  whom  He  may  send  to  them.  To  give  words  of 
friendly  counsel,  and  perform  acts  of  sympathy  and  love 
are  among  the  privileged  blessings  of  age  and  experience. 

But  the  poor  men,  and  those  who  have  been  converted 
in  later  life  may  ask.  And  what  shall  we  do  ? 

There  are  no  greater  triumphs  of  grace  than  are  manifest 
in  the  conversion  of  men  of  fifty  years  of  age  and  beyond. 
The  first  thing  such  men  have  to  do,  is  to  honor  God  by 
their  steadfast  faith  in  him,  serving  him  with  all  faithful- 
ness in  all  things. 

If  poor,  depending  upon  daily  labor  for  daily  bread,  let 
unwavering  trust  in  God,  and  a  joyful  contentment  with 
the  allotments  of  his  providence,  demonstrate  to  their  fam- 
ilies and  to  all  who  know  them,  that  they  have  found  the 
peace  of  God  which  passeth  understanding.  Then  let  no 
opportunity  slip  to  encourage  younger  men  to  faithfulness, 
and  to  warn  those  wlio  are  spending  their  days  in  selfish- 
ness and  sin,  to  turn  from  their  folly  and  seek  unto  the 
Lord.  Their  experience  in  sin,  as  well  as  in  the  new  life 
may  be  made  a  great  blessing  to  others.  A  warning  to  es- 
cape from  the  ways  of  sin  and  thus  avoid  their  bitter  expe- 
rience of  its  evil,  and  an  encouragement  to  seek  the  Lord, 
whose  mercy  reached  and  saved  them.  By  thus  laboring 
for  the  good  of  others,  they  themselves  will  be  helped  for- 
ward  to   higher   attainments   in   the  divine  life,  and  the 


CHRISTIAN  MEN  AND  THEIR   WORK.     91 

blessed  Father-only  knows  to  what  grand  results  they  may 
yet  attain  before  their  work  on  earth  is  done.  One  thing 
is  certain,  if  they  are  faithful  unto  the  end,  they  shall  wear 
a  crown  at  last,  and  it  shall  not  be  starless. 

Professional  men  should  make  themselves  useful  in  their 
advanced  years  in  the  line  of  their  professions,  by  counsel- 
ling those  who  are  bearing  the  burden  and  heat  of  the  day, 
and  by  putting  upon  record  the  results  of  their  experiences 
and  observations  in  their  life  work. 

The  lawyer  may  become  an  eminent  counselor.  The 
physician  a  valuable  adviser.  The  teacher  a  reliable  guide, 
and  the  preacher  an  efficient  co-worker  or  voluntary  mis- 
sionary. The  man  of  letters  can  surely  keep  his  intellect 
clear  and  his  mind  active  by  continual  practice  in  the  use 
of  his  pen.  He,  as  surely  as  any  other  man,  will  become 
weary  and  disconsolate  if  exertion,  thought,  and  practice 
are  abandoned.  To  discontinue  the  exercise  of  the  facul- 
ties inevitably  impairs  their  strength,  and  mental  imbecility 
is  almost  sure  to  follow  decaying  health  and  luxurious 
ease. 

Let,  then,  all  men  in  all  conditions  of  life,  continue  the 
exercise  of  all  their  faculties  in  the  various  pursuits  of  life 
for  which  they  are  best  fitted,  and  in  deeds  of  kindness  and 
Christian  work  so  long  as  life  lasts,  or  until  the  power  to 
work  is  withdrawn. 

It  is  too  common  for  Christian  people  of  all  classes  ana 
ages  to  require  of  their  pastors  not  only  the  preparation  of 
"beaten  oil  for  the  sanctuary,"  but  all  the  work  of  visit- 
ing the  sick  and  the  inc^uiring,  and  carrying  the  Gospel  to 


92  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

the  homes  of  the  irreligious  and  bringing  them  to  Christ. 
But  the  injunction  of  the  Master  to  disciple  all  people  was 
laid  upon  all  the  discijples^  as  well  as  upon  the  apos- 
tles. This  was  evidently  wise,  because  it  is  manifest  that 
pastors  cannot  perform  all  this  work,  and  also  that  every 
Christian  has  need  of  the  discipline  that  comes  from  the 
exercise  of  the  Christian  graces  in  such  work  as  well  as  the 
pastor.  If  only  pastors  could  perform  Christian  work,  then 
only  could  they  have  the  opportunity  to  grow  in  grace. 

Their  long  and  joyful  experiences  of  the  blessings  of 
God  in  the  affairs  of  life  must  have  taught  them  precious 
lessons  of  love,  and  trust,  and  hope. 

It  may  be  assumed  that  the  men  of  fifty  and  beyond  are 
rooted  and  grounded  in  the  faith.  The  soil  of  their  hearts 
must  be  well  watered  with  the  dews  of  heaven. 

"What  then  can  be  more  important  for  the  cause  of  God 
among  men,  as  for  their  own  completenesss  in  Chi'ist, 
than  such  efficient  co-operation  with  their  pastors  in  Chris- 
tian work,  as  their  age,  experience  and  opportunities  qual- 
ify them  for?  They  can  fill  the  offices  of  the  church, 
establish  and  superintend  local  and  cottage  prayer-meetings 
and  assist  in  holding  religious  service  in  neighborhoods, 
and  hold  special  meetings.  They  can  visit  the  sick,  com- 
fort the  sorrowing,  counsel  the  young,  and  encourage  the 
old.  They  can  devise  and  endow  plans  by  which  widows 
and  efiicient  women  can  be  employed  in  the  service  of  the 
church  in  visiting  and  nursing  the  sick,  relieving  the  poor, 
and  diffusing  among  all  classes  the  instructions  and  conso- 
lations of  the  Gospel.     Thus  spending  the  evening  of  \\% 


CBRI8TIAN  MEN  AND  THEIR   WORK.    93 

in  the  Master's  service,  they  will  come  down  to  their  graves 
like  shocks  of  corn  fully  ripe  for  the  harvest,  ceasing  at 
once  to  work  and  live — passing  from  labor  to  rest,  from 
toil  to  a  glorious  reward. 

When  all  shall  be  done,  and  men  are  about  to  enter  into 
rest,  there  will  often  be  something  of  this  world's  goods 
left,  even  though  they  have  truly  acted  as  their  own 
executors.  Whatever  remains  in  their  hands  should  be 
disposed  of  by  a  will,  judiciously  drawn,  and  executed  in 
good  season,  while  they  are  in  health  and  vigor.  Altera- 
tions may  be  made,  or  a  new  will  executed  should  such 
changes  in  circumstances  occur  as  render  it  desirable. 

No  large  sums  should  be  left  to  heirs.  A  liberally  en- 
dowed child  is  almost  surely  ruined.  Do  not  curse  your 
children  by  making  them  rich,  after  spending  your  life  in 
helping  others  into  the  kingdom  of  God. 

Give  them  a  faithful  training  to  loving  obedience,  a  good 
education,  and  a  small  fund  to  start  with,  if  they  are  not 
already  established  in  business,  and  trust  them  to  work  their 
own  way  through  life  and  up  to  heaven  under  the  blessing 
of  God,  as  you  have  done. 

Select,  as  the  objects  of  your  gifts,  those  institutions 
which  are  best  adapted  to  diffuse  the  knowledge  of  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  as  the  Saviour  among  men,  especiallj- to 
the  poor,  and  are  under  the  management  of  men  thor- 
oughly devoted  to  the  work  of  the  Master.  Thus  holp 
good  men  and  women  to  prosecute  the  very  work  of  God 
to  which  your  life  has  been  devoted.  It  is  worthy  of  serious 
consideration  whether  the  endowment  of  churches,  either 


94  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

by  funds  left  for  the  payment  of  current  expenses,  or  by- 
large  investments  in  fine  buildings  and  gorgeous  surround- 
ings is  a  wise  investment  of  money.  The  inquiry  may  also 
extend  to  institutions  of  learning,  especially  such  as  are 
already  endowed.  The  Master  said,  "The  poor  ye  have 
always  with  you,  and  whenever  ye  will  ye  may  do  them 
good."  Suitable  aid  for  the  poor  and  unfortunate  classes 
are  among  our  most  worthy  charities. 

But  this  aid  should  be  so  rendered  as  not  to  encourage 
and  foster  their  poverty,  nor  destroy  their  ambition,  their 
self-reliance,  and  their  self-respect.  It  is  the  Divine  ap- 
pointment that  men  must  "eat  their  bread  in  the  sweat  of 
their  brow."  In  this  life  it  is  of  first  importance  that  men 
should  be  usefully  employed,  and  no  man  whom  God  has 
blessed  with  the  success  of  earnest  activity  should  throw 
away  the  fruits  of  his  labor  by  injudicious  gifts  to  the  poor, 
or  for  their  benefit. 

Wise  appropriations  for  the  relief  of  the  suffering,  and 
the  establishment  and  endowment  of  homes  for  the  aged, 
infirm,  and  distressed  classes,  are  among  the  most  worthy 
objects  of  our  beneficence,  and  provisions  for  the  diffusion 
of  the  saving  truths  of  the  Gospel  among  the  masses  of  the 
people,  are  noble  objects  of  Christian  gifts.  By  such  leg- 
acies, men  though  dead,  yet  live  in  their  influence  upon 
the  world,  and  send  down  the  flowing  years,  the  fruits  of 
their  living  and  giving. 

Blessed  life  and  blessed  work,  when  life  and  work  are 
consecrated  to  Christ.  Commencing  the  Master's  work  in 
life's  early  morning  and  prosecuting  it  with  diligence  and 


CHRISTIAN  MEN  AND  THEIR   WORK.    95 

cheerfulness  through  all  its  periods  until  old  age,  and  expe- 
riencing the  blessed  fulfillment  of  the  promise  "Even  to 
old  age  I  am  He,  and  even  to  hoar  hairs  will  I  carry  you." 

"They  shall  bring  forth  fruit  in  old  age to  show 

that  the  Lord  is  upright." 

And  then,  when  life's  toils  are  ended  they  inherit  the 
promise  "Be  thou  faithful  unto  death  and  I  will  give  thee 
a  crown  of  life,"  and  enter  upon  the  glorious  reward  of  fidel- 
ity; and  receive  the  final  commendation  of  their  Lord, 
"Good  and  faithful  servant  enter  thou  into  the  joy  of  thy 
Lord." 


FROM  CICERO'S  ESSAY  ON  OLD  AGE. 


[HE  following  extracts  are  from  a  discourse 
"De  Senectute,"  by  Cicero,  the  world-re- 
nowned Roman  orator,  who  was  born  one 
hundred  and  six  years  before  Christ.  He  is 
one  among  many  pleasant  proofs  that  God  never  leaves 
himself  without  a  witness  in  the  hearts  of  men,  in  any  age 
or  country.  Cicero  says:  "I  have  represented  these 
reflections  as  delivered  by  the  venerable  Cato ;  but  in  de- 
livering Ms  sentiments,  I  desire  to  be  understood  as  fully 
declaring  7ny  oivn.'''' 

Those  who  have  no  internal  resources  of  happiness  will  find 
themselves  uneasy  in  every  stage  of  human  life  ;  but  to  him 
who  is  accustomed  to  derive  happiness  from  within  himself, 
no  state  will  appear  as  a  real  evil  into  which  he  is  con- 
ducted by  the  common  and  regular  course  of  nature;  and 
this  is  peculiarly  the  case  with  respect  to  old  age.  I  fol- 
low nature,  as  the  surest  guide,  and  resign  myself  with 
implicit  obedience  to  her  sacred  ordinances.  After  having 
wisely  distributed  peculiar  and  proper  enjoyments  to  all 
the  preceding  periods  of  life,  it  cannot  be  supposed  that 
she  would  neglect  the  last,  and  leave  it  destitute  of  suit- 
able enjoyments.  After  a  certain  point  of  maturity  is 
attained,  marks  of  decay  must  necessarily  appear ;  but  to 


96 


CICAT.O'S  ESSAY  OJ^  OLD  AGE.  97 

this  unavoidable  condition  of  Lis  present  being,  every  wise 
and  good  man  will  submit  with  contented  and  cheerful 
acquiescence. 

Nothing  can  be  more  void  of  foundation  than  the  asser- 
tion that  old  age  necessarily  disqualifies  a  man  for  taking 
part  in  the  great  affairs  of  the  world.  If  an  old  man  can- 
not perform  in  business  a  part  which  requires  the  bodily- 
strength  and  energy  of  more  vigorous  years,  he  can  act  in 
a  nobler  and  more  important  character.  Momentous  affairs 
of  state  are  not  conducted  by  corporeal  strength  and  activ- 
ity ;  they  require  cool  deliberation,  prudent  counsel  and 
authoritative  influence;  qualifications  which  are  strength- 
ened and  improved  by  increase  of  years.  Few  among 
mankind  arrive  at  old  age;  and  this  suggests  a  reason  why 
the  affairs  of  the  world  are  not  better  conducted;  for  age 
brings  experience,  discretion  and  judgment,  without  which 
no  well-informed  government  could  have  been  established, 
or  can  be  maintained.  Appius  Claudius  was  not  only  old 
but  blind,  when  he  remonstrated  in  the  Senate  with  so 
much  force  and  spirit  against  concluding  a  peace  with 
Pyrrhus.  The  celebrated  General  Quintus  Maximus  led 
our  troops  to  battle  in  his  old  age,  with  as  much  spirit  as  if 
he  had  been  in  the  prime  and  vigor  of  life.  It  was  by  his 
advice  and  eloquence,  when  he  was  extremely  old,  that  the 
Cincian  law  concerning  donatives  was  enacted.  And  it 
was  not  merely  in  the  conspicuous  paths  of  the  world  that 
this  excellent  man  was  truly  great.  He  appeared  still 
greater  in  the  private  and  domestic  scenes  of  life.  There 
was  a  dignity  in   his  deportment   tempered   with   singular 


98  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

politeness  and  affability ;  and  time  wrought  no  alteration 
in  liis  amiable  qualities.  How  pleasing  and  instructive 
was  his  conversation !  How  profound  his  knowledge  of 
antiquity  and  the  laws  !  His  memory  was  so  retentive  that 
there  was  no  event  of  any  note  connected  with  our  public 
affairs  with  which  he  was  not  well  acquainted.  I  eagerly 
embraced  every  opportunity  to  enjoy  his  society,  feeling  that 
after  his  death  I  should  never  again  meet  with  so  wise  and 
improving  a  companion. 

But  it  is  not  necessary  to  be  a  hero  or  a  statesman  in 
order  to  lead  an  easy  and  agreeable  old  age.  That  season 
of  life  may  prove  equally  serene  and  pleasant  to  him  who 
has  passed  his  days  in  the  retired  paths  of  learning.  It  is 
urged  that  old  age  impairs  the  memory.  It  may  have  that 
effect  on  those  in  whom  memory  was  originally  infirm,  or 
who  have  not  preserved  its  vigor  by  exercising  it  properly. 
But  the  faculties  of  the  mind  will  preserve  their  power  in 
old  age,  unless  they  are  suffered  to  become  languid  for 
want  of  due  cultivation.  Caius  Gallus  employed  himself 
to  the  very  last  moments  of  his  long  life  in  measuring  the 
distances  of  the  heavenly  orbs  and  determining  the  dimen- 
sion of  this,  our  earth.  How  often  has  the  sun  risen  in 
his  astronomical  calculations !  How  frequently  has  night 
overtaken  him  in  the  same  elevated  studies !  With  what 
delight  did  he  amuse  himself  in  predicting  to  us  long 
before  they  happened,  the  several  lunar  and  solar  eclipses  ! 
Other  ingenious  applications  of  the  mind  there  are,  though 
of  a  lighter  nature,  which  may  greatly  contribute  to 
eidiven  and  amuse  the  decline  of  life.     Thus  Nsevius,  in 


CICERO'S  ESSAY  ON  OLD  AGE.  90 

composing  liis  poem  on  the  Carthagenian  war,  and  Plautus 
in  writing  his  two  last  comedies,  filled  up  the  leisure  of 
their  hitter  days  with  wonderful  complacency  and  satisfac- 
tion. I  can  affirm  the  same  of  our  dramatic  poet  Livius, 
whom  I.  remember  to  have  seen  in  his  old  age ;  and  let  me 
not  forget  Marcus  Cethegus,  justly  styled  the  soul  of  elo, 
quence,  whom  I  likewise  saw  in  his  old  age  exercising  even 
his  oratorical  talents  with  uncommon  force  and  vivacity. 
All  these  old  men  I  saw  pursuing  their  respective  studies 
with  the  utmost  order  and  alacrity.  Solon,  in  one  of  his 
poems,  glories  that  he  learned  something  every  day  he 
lived.  Plato  occupied  himself  with  philosophical  studies, 
till  they  were  interrupted  by  death  at  eighty-one  years  of 
age.  Isocrates  composed  his  famous  discourse  when  he 
was  ninety-four  years  old,  and  he  lived  five  years  after- 
ward. Saphocles  continued  to  write  tragedies  when  he  was 
extremely  old.  Gray  hair  proved  no  obstacle  to  the  philo- 
sophic pursuits  of  Pythagoras,  Zeno,  Cleanthes,  or  the 
venerable  Diogenes.  These  eminent  persons  persevered  in 
their  studies  with  undiminished  earnestness  to  the  last 
moment  of  their  extended  lives.  Liontinus  Gorgias,  who 
lived  to  be  one  hundred  and  seven  years  old,  pursued  hia 
studies  with  unremitting  assiduity  to  the  last.  When  asked 
if  he  did  not  wish  to  rid  himself  of  the  burden  of  such 
prolonged  years,  he  replied,  "  I  find  no  reason  to  complain 
of  old  age." 

The  statement  that  age  impairs  our  strength  is  not  with- 
out foundation.  But,  after  all,  imbecility  of  body  is  more 
frequently  caused  by  youthful   irregularities  tlian  by  the 


100         FIFTY  YEAES  AND  BEYOND. 

natural  and  unavoidable  consequences  of  long  life.  By 
temperance  and  exercise,  a  man  may  secure  to  his  old  age 
no  inconsiderable  degree  of  his  former  spirit  and  activity. 
The  venerable  Lucius  Metellus  preserved  such  a  florid  old 
age  to  his  last  moments,  as  to  have  no  reason  to  lament 
the  depredations  of  time.  If  it  must  be  acknowledged 
that  time  inevitably  undermines  physical  strength,  it  is 
equally  true  that  great  bodily  vigor  is  not  required  in  the 
decline  of  life.  A  moderate  degree  of  force  is  sufficient 
for  all  rational  purposes.  I  no  more  regret  the  absence  of 
youthful  vigor,  than  when  young  I  lamented  because  I  was 
not  endowed  with  the  strength  of  a  bull  or  an  elephant. 
Old  age  has,  at  least,  sufficient  strength  remaining  to  train 
the  rising  generation,  and  instruct  them  in  the  duties  to 
which  they  may  hereafter  be  called ;  and  certainly  there 
cannot  be  a  more  important  or  a  more  honorable  occupation. 
There  is  satisfaction  in  communicating  every  kind  of  useful 
knowledge  ;  and  it  must  render  a  man  happy  to  employ 
the  faculties  of  his  mind  in  so  noble  and  beneficial  a  pur- 
pose, how  much  soever  time  may  have  impaired  his  bodily 
powers.  Men  of  good  sense,  in  the  evening  of  life,  are 
generally  fond  of  associating  with  the  younger  part  of  the 
world,  and,  when  they  discover  amiable  qualities  in  them, 
they  find  it  an  alleviation  of  their  infirmities  to  gain  their 
affection  and  esteem ;  and  well-inclined  young  men  think 
themselves  equally  happy  to  be  guided  into  the  paths  of 
knowledge  and  virtue  by  the  instructions  of  experienced 
elders.  I  love  to  see  the  fire  of  youth  somewhat  tempered 
by  the  sobriety  of  age,  and  it  is  pleasant  to  see  the  gravity 


CICERO'S  ESSAY  ON  OLD  AGE.         101 

of  age  enlivened  by  the  vivacity  of  youth.  Whoever  com- 
bines these  two  qualities  in  his  character  will  never  exhibit 
traces  of  senility  in  his  mind,  though  his  body  may  bear 
the  marks  of  years. 

As  for  the  natural  and  necessary  inconveniences  attend- 
ant upon  length  of  years,  we  ought  to  counteract  their  pro- 
gress by  constant  and  resolute  opposition.  The  infirmities 
of  age  should  be  resisted  like  the  approach  of  disease.  To 
this  end  we  should  use  regular  and  moderate  exercise,  and 
merely  eat  and  drink  as  much  as  is  necessary  to  repair  our 
strength,  without  oppressing  the  organs  of  digestion.  And 
the  intellectual  faculties  as  well  as  the  physical,  should  be 
carefully  assisted.  Mind  and  body  thrive  equally  by 
suitable  exercise  of  their  powers,  with  this  difference,  how- 
ever, that  bodily  exertion  ends  in  fatigue,  whereas  the 
mind  is  never  wearied  by  activity. 

Another  charge  against  old  age  is,  that  it  deprives  us  of 
sensual  gratifications.  Happy  effect,  indeed  to  be  deliv- 
ered from  those  snares  which  allure  youth  into  some  of  the 
worst  vices!  "Reason,"  said  Archytas,  "is  the  noblest 
sift  which  God  or  nature  has  bestowed  on  men.  Now 
nothing  is  so  great  an  enemy  to  that  divine  endowment  as 
the  pleasures  of  sense ;  for  neither  temperance,  nor  any  of 
the  more  exalted  virtues,  can  find  a  place  in  that  breast 
which  is  under  the  dominion  of  voluptuous  i)assions. 
Imagine  to  yourself  a  man  in  the  actual  enjoyment  of  the 
highest  gratifications  mere  animal  nature  is  capable  of 
receiving  ;  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  during  his  contin- 
uance in  that  state  it  would  be  utterly  impossible  for  him 


102  FIFTY  TEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

to  exert  any  one  power  of  his  rational  faculties. "  The  infer- 
ence I  draw  from  this  is,  that  if  the  principles  of  reason 
and  virtue  have  not  proved  sufficient  to  inspire  us  with 
proper  contempt  for  mere  sensual  pleasures,  we  have  cause 
to  feel  grateful  to  old  age  for  at  least  weaning  us  from  appe- 
tites it  would  ill  become  us  to  gratify  ;  for  voluptuous  pas- 
sions are  bitter  enemies  to  all  the  nobler  faculties  of  the 
soul ;  they  hold  no  communion  with  the  manly  virtues, 
and  they  cast  a  mist  before  the  eye  of  reason.  The  little 
relish  which  old  age  leaves  for  enjoyments  merely  sensual, 
instead  of  being  a  disparagement  to  that  period  of  life, 
considerably  enhances  its  value.  If  age  renders  us  incap-. 
able  of  taking  an  equal  share  in  the  flowing  cups  and 
luxurious  dishes  of  wealthy  tables,  it  thereby  secures  us 
from  painful  indigestion,  restless  nights,  and  disordered 
reason. 

But  though  his  years  will  guard  an  old  man  from  excess, 
they  by  no  means  exclude  him  from  enjoying  convivial 
gratifications  in  a  moderate  degree.  I  always  took  singu- 
lar satisfaction  in  the  anniversaries  of  those  little  societies 
called  Confraternities.  But  the  gratifications  I  received 
from  their  entertainments  arose  much  less  from  the  pleas- 
ures of  the  palate  than  from  the  opportunity  they  afforded 
for  enjoying  the  company  and  conversation  of  friends.  I 
derive  so  much  pleasure  from  hours  devoted  to  cheerful 
discourse,  that  I  love  to  prolong  my  meals,  not  only  when 
the  company  is  composed  of  men  of  my  own  years,  few  of 
whom  indeed  are  now  remaining,  but  also  when  it  chiefly 
consists  of  young  persons.     And  I  acknowledge  my  obli- 


CICERO'S  ESSAY  ON  OLD  AGE.         103 

gations  to  old  age  for  having  increased  my  passion  for  the 
pleasures  of  conversation,  while  it  has  abated  it  for  those 
which  depend  solely  on  the  palate;  though  I  do  not  find 
myself  clisqualilied  for  that  species  of  gratification  also. 

The  advantages  of  age  are  inestimable,  if  we  consider  it 
as  delivering  us  from  the  tyranny  of  lust  and  ambition,  from 
angry  and  contentious  passions,  from  inordinate  and  irra- 
tational  desires ;  in  a  word,  as  teaching  us  to  retire  within 
ourselves,  and  look  for  happiness  in  our  own  souls.  If  to 
these  moral  benefits,  which  naturally  result  from  lengtli  of 
days,  be  added  the  sweet  food  of  the  mind,  gathered  in 
the  fields  of  science,  I  know  of  no  season  of  life  that  is 
passed  more  agreeably  than  the  learned  leisure  of  a  virtuous 
old  age.  Can  the  luxuries  of  the  table,  or  the  amusements 
of  the  theatre,  supply  their  votaries  with  enjoyments  worthy 
to  be  compared  with  the  calm  delights  of  intellectual  enjoy- 
ments ?  And,  in  minds  rightly  formed  and  properly  culti- 
vated, these  exalted  delights  never  fail  to  improve  and 
gather  strength  with  years. 

From  the  pleasures  which  attend  a  studious  old  age,  let 
us  turn  to  those  derived  from  rural  occupations,  of  which 
I  am  a  warm  admirer.  Pleasures  of  this  class  are  ]:>er- 
fectly  consistent  with  every  degree  of  advanced  years,  as 
they  approach  more  nearly  than  any  others  to  those  of  a 
purely  philosophical  kind.  They  are  derived  from  observ- 
ing the  nature  and  properties  of  our  earth,  which  yields 
ready  obedience  to  the  cultivator's  industry,  and  returns, 
with  interest,  whatever  he  places  in  her  charge.  But  the 
prolits  arising  from  this  fertility  is  by  no  means  the  most 


104  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

desirable  circumstance  of  the  farmer's  labors.  I  am  princi- 
pally delighted  with  observing  the  powers  of  nature  and 
tracirig  her  processes  in  vegetable  productions.  How 
wondei-ful  it  is  that  each  species  is  endowed  with  power 
to  continue  itself;  and  that  minute  seeds  should  develop  so 
amazingl}'-  into  large  trunks  and  branches  !  The  orchard, 
the  vegetable  garden,  and  the  parterre  diversify  the  pleas- 
ures of  farming ;  not  to  mention  the  feeding  of  cattle  and 
the  rearing  of  bees.  Among  my  friends  and  neighbors  in 
the  country  are  several  men  far  advanced  in  life,  who 
employ  themselves  with  so  much  activity  and  industry  in 
agricultural  business  that  nothing  important  is  carried  on 
without  their  supervision.  And  these  rural  veterans  do  not 
confine  their  energies  to  those  sorts  of  crops  which  are 
sown  aiid  reaped  in  one  year.  They  occupy  themselves  in 
branches  of  husbandry  from  which  they  know  they  cannot 
live  to  derive  any  advantage.  If  asked  why  they  thus 
expend  their  labor,  they  might  well  reply,  "  We  do  it  in 
obedience  to  the  immortal  gods.  By  their  bountiful  provi- 
dence wo  received  these  fields  from  our  ancestors,  and  it  is 
their  will  that  we  should  transmit  them  to  posterity  with 
improvements.'"  In  my  opinion  there  is  no  happier  occu- 
pation tlian  agriculture;  not  only  on  account  of  its  great 
utility  to  mankind,  but  also  as  the  source  of  peculiar  pleas- 
ures. I  might  expatiate  on  the  beauties  of  verdant  groves 
and  meadows,  on  the  charming  landscape  of  olive  trees 
and  vineyards;  but  to  say  all  in  one  word,  there  cannot  be 
a  more  pleasing,  or  a  more  profitable  scene  than  that  of  a 
wcll-ciilfivatcd  farm.     And  where  else  can   a  man  in  the 


CICERO'S  ESSAY  ON  OLD  AGE.         105 

last  stages  of  life  more  easily  find  warm  sunshine,  or  a  good 
lire  m  winter,  or  the  pleasure  of  cooling  shades  and  refresh- 
ing streams  in  summer  ? 

It  is  often  argued  that  old  age  must  necessarily  be  a  state 
of  much  anxiety  and  disquietude,  on  account  of  the  near 
approach  of  death.  That  the  hour  of  dissolution  cannot 
be  far  distant  from  an  aged  man  is  undoubtedly  true.  But 
every  event  that  is  agreeable  to  the  course  of  nature  ought 
to  be  regarded  as  a  real  good ;  and  surely  nothing  can  be 
more  natural  than  for  the  old  to  die.  It  is  true  that  youth 
also  is  exposed  to  dissolution ;  but  it  is  a  dissolution 
obviously  contrary  to  nature's  intentions,  and  in  opposition 
to  her  strongest  efforts.  ^  Fruit  before  it  is  ripe,  cannot  be 
separated  from  the  stalk  without  some  degree  of  force  ;  but 
when  it  is  perfectly  mature,  it  drops  itself;  so  the  disunion 
of  the  soul  and  body  is  effected  in  the  young  by  violence  ; 
but  in  the  old  it  takes  place  by  mere  fulness  and  comple- 
tion of  years. /CT'his  ripeness  for  death  I  perceive  in  myself 
with  nmch  satisfaction ;  and  I  look  forward  to  my  disso- 
lution as  to  a  secure  haven  where  I  shall  at  length  find  a 
happy  repose  from  the  fatigues  of  a  long  voyage.    ' 

With  regard  to  the  consequences  of  our  dissolution,  I 
will  venture  to  say  that  the  nearer  death  approaches  the 
iiioi-e  clearly  do  I  seem  to  discern  its  real  nature.  When  I 
consider  the  faculties  with  which  the  human  mind  is 
endowed,  its  amazing  celerity,  its  wonderful  power  in 
recollecting  past  events,  and  its  sagacity  in  discerning  the 
future,  together  with  its  numberless  discoveries  in  arts  and 
seicnofs,  I  feel  a  conscious  comic-tion  that  this  active,  com- 


106  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

prehensive  principle  cannot  possibly  be  of  a  mortal  nature. 
And  as  this  unceasing  activity  of  the  soul  dei'ives  its  energy 
from  its  own  intrinsic  and  essential  powers,  without  receiv- 
ing it  from  any  foreign  or  external  impulse,  it  necessarily 
follows  that  its  activity  must  continue  forever.  I  am 
induced  to  embrace  this  opinion,  not  only  as  agreeable  to 
the  best  deductions  of  reason,  but  also  in  deference  to  the 
authority  of  the  noblest  and  most  distinguished  philoso- 
phers. 

I  am  well  convinced  that  my  departed  friends  are  so  far 
from  having  ceased  to  live,  that  the  state  they  now  enjoy 
can  alone  with  propriety  be  called  life.  I  teel  myself  trans- 
ported with  impatience  to  rejoin  those  whose  characters  I 
have  greatly  respected  and  whose  persons  I  have  loved. 
Nor  is  this  earnest  desire  confined  alone  to  those  excellent 
persons  with  whom  I  have  been  connected.  I  ardently 
wish  also  to  visit  those  celebrated  worthies  of  whom  I  have 
heard  or  read  much.  To  this  glorious  assembly  I  am 
speedily  advancing  ;  and  I  would  not  be  turned  back  on 
my  journey,  even  on  the  assured  condition  that  my  youth 
should  be  again  restored.  The  sincere  truth  is,  if  some 
divinity  would  confer  on  me  a  new  grant  of  life,  I  would 
reject  the  offer  without  the  least  hesitation.  I  have  well 
nigh  finished  the  race,  and  have  no  disposition  to  return  to 
the  starting-point.  I  do  not  mean  to  imitate  those  philoso- 
phers who  represent  the  condition  of  human  nature  as  a 
subject  of  just  lamentation.  The  satisfactions  of  this  life 
are  many  ;  but  there  comes  a  time  when  we  have  had  a 
sufficient  measure  of  its  enjc^yments,  and  may  well  depart 


CICERO'S  ESSAY  ON  OLD  AGE.         107 

contented  with  our  share  of  the  feast.  I  am  far  from 
regretting  that  this  life  was  bestowed  on  me ;  and  I  have 
tlie  satisfaction  of  thinking  that  I  have  employed  it  in  such 
a  manner  as  not  to  have  lived  in  vain.  In  short,  I  consider 
tliis  world  as  a  place  which  nature  never  intended  for  my 
permanent  abocie  ;  and  I  look  on  my  departure  from  it,  not 
as  being  drivcc  from  my  habitation,  but  simply  as  leaving 
an  inn. 


THE  GLORIES  OF  OLD  AGE. 

Rev.  J.  B.  Wentworth,  D.D. 


*'  The  hoary  head  is  a  crown  of  glory,  if  it  be  found  in  the 
WAY  of  righteousness." — Prov.  16:  31. 

TIE  younger  portion  of  my  readers  may — upon 
the   instant — tliink    that   this   is   a   subject 
which  does  not   particularly  interest  them. 
A   moment^s   reflection,  however,   will  con- 
vince them  that  they  are  quite  as  deeply  interested  in  it  as 
any  other  class.     For,  in  the  absence  of  all  immediate  ji?^/'- 
so7ud  concernment,  there  is  no  young  person  who  is  not 
drawn  to   give  an   eager  and  interested  attention  to  the 
subject  before  us,  by  the  close  and  tender  relations  he  sus- 
tains to  those  whose  years  have  passed  "  Unto  the  sere  and 
yellow  leaf."      l^-w  may  be  young;  but  you  have  friends 
older  than  yourself — friends  as  dear  to  you  as  your  own 
life ;  and  whatever  relates  to  their  happiness  you  feel  espe- 
cially concerns  you.     But,  in  truth,  each  one  of  us  has  a 
personal  interest  in  considering  the  privileges  and  advan- 
tages pertaining  to  old  age ;  for,  by  the  inflexible  laws  of 
our  being,  though  we  may  now  be  in  the  flush  of  youth, 
we  shall  be  moved  forward  upon  the  level  of  time — if  our 
lives  are  spared — until  we  shall  occupy  the  places  of  the 
aged.  m 


THE  GLoniES  OF  OLD  AGE.  109 

Vastly  too  mucli  has  been  said  of  late  by  those  who 
occupy  the  position  of  public  instructors,  upon  the  relative 
superiority  of  youth  over  age — especially  in  respect  of 
those  attributes  essential  to  happiness  and  usefulness.  It 
is  fashionable  in  these  days — and  a  very  pernicious  fashion 
it  is — to  eulogize  young  men,  and  to  concede  to  them — by 
virtue  of  those  pov^ers  supposed  to  be  peculiar  to  their 
time  of  life — the  prerogatives  of  administration  and  govern- 
ment. The  beau  ideal  of  manhood,  as  presented  by  the 
preachers  and  lyceum  lecturers  of  the  day,  is,  not  the  grave 
and  reverend  sire,  with  flowing  beard  and  locks  tinged 
with  grey — the  symbols  of  maturity  and  wisdom, — but  the 
stripling  lover,  with  tender  down  upon  his  chin,  and  the 
mingled  look  of  hope  and  passion  gleaming  from  his  eye. 
We  are  urged  by  the  hour,  in  lectures,  upon  "the  model 
young  man,"  to  believe  that  all  that  is  good  and  great  in 
the  life  of  man  is  to  be  looked  for  in  the  first  half  of  it,  and 
that  the  period  lying  beyond  "the  meridian  of  life"  is  a 
dreary  waste,  unproductive  and  cheerless,  characterized 
chiefly  by  rheumatism,  imbecility,  and  decay.  The  world 
used  to  be  represented  as  supported  upon  the  brawny 
shoulders  of  old  Atlas ;  but,  by  the  progressive  spirit  of 
our  "Young  Americanism,"  this  is  discovered  to  be  all  a 
fable  ;  and  we  now  incline  to  believe  that  the  world  is  sup- 
ported, not  by  old  Atlas,  but  by  "  the  model  young  man." 

But,  for  teaching  such  nonsense  as  this,  and  thus  revers- 
ing the  j)roper  order  of  ideas  relating  to  the  two  grand 
periods  of  human  life,  our  "sensation"  preachers  and 
piquant  lecturers  are  not  so  much  to  blame.     They  do  but 


no         FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

become  the  exponents  of  the  practical  and  unconscious 
influences  of  our  times.  For,  in  these  days,  and  among  us 
as  a  people,  but  little  practical  respect  or  deference  is 
shown  to  the  aged.  In  our  irreverent  parlance,  we  call 
them  "Old  Fogies,"  and  pay  no  heed  to  what  we  are 
wont  to  regard  as  their  antiquated  and  obsolete  notions.  In 
the  social  life  of  the  present  day,  they  are  not  permitted 
to  occupy  the  rank,  nor  exercise  the  functions,  which  nat- 
urally and  of  right  belong  to  them.  By  the  pressure  of 
popular  prejudice  and  folly,  they  are  turned  out  of  office, 
thrust  out  of  the  professions,  and  crowded  out  of  various 
pursuits  of  industry,  before  their  time, — the  young  are  pro- 
moted over  their  heads,  and  to  an  unprecedented  degree 
in  the  world's  history,  are  invested  with  authority  for  the 
control  and  direction  of  our  social  and  civil  affairs.  By 
some,  this  is  regarded  as  an  evidence  of  our  advancing  pro- 
gress ;  to  my  mind,  it  is  rather  an  evidence  of  our  moral 
and  social  degeneracy. 

"What  should  we  at  once  decide  was  the  character  of  that 
youth,  who  should  treat  the  seniors  of  the  domestic  circle 
to  which  he  might  belong  with  disrespect, — contemning 
their  counsels,  priding  himself  upon  his  own  superior  wis- 
dom and  knowledge,  and  exerting  himself  to  gain  the 
supremacy  over  thein,  and  subject  them  to  his  control  ? 
Should  we  not  esteem  him  as  reckless,  hardened,  and  aban- 
doned, and  on  the  high  road  to  ruin  ?  What,  then,  shall 
we  say  is  the  moral  condition  of  that  state  of  society  which 
thrusts  down  the  elders  from  their  native  seats  of  honor 
and  authority,  and  turns  to  the  young  for  guidance  and 


THE  GLORIES  OF  OLD  AGE.  Ill 

instruction  ?  Can  there  be  found,  in  such  a  state  of  society, 
the  elements  of  true  progress? — does  there  not  rather 
exist  here  the  seeds  of  dissohition  and  anarchy  ?  And, 
indeed,  we  liave  carried  this  "Young  America"  experi- 
ment far  enough,  not  only  to  realize  its  immorality,  but 
also  to  experience  the  pernicious  results  naturally  flowing 
from  it. 

From  treating  the  aged  with  irreverence,  we  have  gone 
on,  as  a  people,  to  contempt  for  all  the  past.  We  seldom 
invoke  the  aid  of  history  in  the  guidance  of  our  affairs  ;  we 
substitute  cunning  and  adroitness  for  the  rules  that  have 
been  tried  and  proved  by  former  generations  ;  the  lessons 
derived  from  experience,  and  from  the  counsels  of  the  wise 
of  the  past  are  forgotten,  as  we  listen  to  the  more  pleas- 
ing utterances  of  our  young  oracles,  whose  hopeful  gaze  is 
only  fixed  upon  the  future  ;  we  care  but  little  for  the  tradi- 
tionary maxims  of  prudence  and  policy  to  which  other 
people  adhere  for  their  safety  and  protection.  We  have 
become  restless,  and  fond  of  change  ;  dislike  old  laws,  old 
customs,  old  wisdom,  and  old  houses.  Everything  around 
us  must  be  new  and  young.  There  is  but  little  reverence 
felt  for  law  and  authority ;  rash  counsels  prevail,  too  often,  in 
church  and  state,  fierce  passion  takes  the  place  of  sober 
reason  ;  a  reckless  go-a-headitiveness  everywhere  prevails ; 
and  we  dash  on,  especially  concerned  about  going  swiftly^ 
caring  not  much  about  going  safely.  And,  thus  in  social 
life,  there  is  a  lack  of  coJierence  and  friendship ;  in  th« 
state  there  is  wanting  stability  to  our  institutions,  force  and 
impartiality  of  execution  to  our  laws ;  and,  in  the  churcli 


112         FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

there  are  endless  sects,  and  schisms,  and  factions.  It  is 
true,  tliat  in  our  restless  disregard,  as  a  people,  of  the 
learning  and  experience  of  age,  we  have  made  some  new 
discoveries  of  truth  ;  we  have  thus  added  to  the  common 
stock  of  knowledge  for  the  I'ent  of  mankind — ^though  not 
much  to  our  own;  for  we  are  hardly  disposed  to  profit  even 
by  our  own  experience.  We  have  made  many  hitherto 
untried  experiments;  but  I  know  not  that  we  have  become 
thereby  any  more  settled  and  sober  in  our  own  convictions  ; 
we  seem  no  less  inclined  to  keep  right  on  experimenting, 
and  are  even  making  an  experiment  of  our  own  civil  exist- 
ence. 

Since  then,  these  unfavorable  results  have  followed  our 
national  irreverence  for  age,  and  those  attributes  appertain- 
ing to  age,  it  certainly  will  not  be  out  of  time-  or  place  for 
me  to  reverse  the  picture  you  have  had  so  presented  for 
your  admiration,  and,  for  once  call  upon  you  to  gaze  upon 
and  reverently  admire  The  Model  Old  Man,  who,  of  all 
other  personages  on  earth — is  most  worthy  of  our  respect, 
esteem  and  love. 

It  is  well,  for  those  who  have  not  yet  passed  what  is 
called  "the  meridian  of  life,"  to  contemplate  the  happi- 
ness, honor,  and  usefulness  that  may  appertain  to  old  age, 
that  they  may  cheerfully  acquiesce  in  that  law  of  their 
being  which  is  urging  them  onward  towards  the  closing 
period  of  their  earthly  existence,  nor  dread  the  prospect 
which  is  before  them.  I  have  heard  many  youngerly 
people  express  their  horror  at  the  idea  of  becoming  old. 
The  bare  thought  of  it  seemed   to   make  them  miserable. 


THE  GLORIES  OF  OLD  AGE.  113 

Nor,  indeed,  could  they  whose  wills  might  be  most  fully 
resigned  to  the  divine  order,  look  with  complacency  upon 
the  inevitable  prospect  of  advancing  age,  were  it  in  reality, 
a)ul  of  necessity,  wliat  their  imaginations  have  painted  it 
to  be.  Who,  indeed,  could  wish  to  outlive  his  strength 
and  health  of  body,  his  vigor  of  intellect,  his  capacity  for 
enjoyment,  and  his  ability  for  usefulness  ?  And  there  are 
many  who  think  that  this  is  the  unavoidable  doom  of  those 
who  shall  cease  to  be  young.  This  is  a  sad  and  appalling 
])rospect ;  and  were  it  truthful,  would  be  enough  to  cause 
us  all  to  wish  to  die  before  our  time.  But,  thanks  to  our 
Heavenly  Father,  it  is  not  truthful.  He  has  not  ordained 
that  the  closing  period  of  human  life  shall  be  the  most 
miserable  ;  but,  as  I  shall  attempt  to  show,  he  has  crowned 
it  with  distinguishing  glory  and  honor;  and  it  may  be  to 
us,  if  we  shall  so  choose  and  ordain,  the  most  happy  and 
useful  period  of  our  earthly  pilgrimage. 

My  special  object  in  the  discussion  of  this  theme,  is,  to 
nuike  those  who  have  entered  upon  the  latter  half  of 
human  life  contented  with  their  lot,  by  showing  them  the 
superior  advantages  connected  with  and  peculiar  to  this 
period.  There  are  numy  among  us  who  have  passed  life's 
meridian.  D(jubtless  some  of  tliem,  as  they  have  listened 
of  late  to  nuigniloquent  glorifications  of  young  men  made 
from  the  pulpit  and  the  press,  have  been  moved  to  think 
that  they  were  no  longer  of  "  any  account  "  in  the  world, 
that  their  days  of  enjoyment  and  usefulness  were  passed, 
and  they  must  now  cast  themselves  as  burdens  upon  their 
young  mastei-s,   and   ]>utiently  await  their  summons  to  the 


114         FIFTY  YFAliS  ANl)  J^FToND. 

other  world.  The  inculcation  of  sentiments  which  shall 
awaken  such  reflections  in  the  breasts  of  the  aged,  is  indi- 
t'ative  of  a  barbarous  state  of  the  public  mind  and  heart.  • 
The  lower  a  people  are  in  the  scale  of  civilization,  the 
less  respectful  are  they  to  the  older  members  of  their  body. 
A  leading  characteristic  of  heathenism  is,  a  lack  of  venera- 
tion for  the  aged.  The  exhibition  of  this  trait  by  us,  shows 
a  grand  defect  in  our  Christian  civilization.  It  is  high  time 
that  we  should  seek  to  counteract  and  remove  this  defect, 
and  no  longer  nourish  it  as  a  virtue. 

The  terms  yoking  and  old  have  not  a  fixed  and  absolute 
meaning;  they  are  relative  terms  ;  and  they  stand  for 
quite  ditterent  ideas,  as  used  by  different  persons.  I  shall 
not  undertake  to  give  any  exact  definition,  even  as  I  shall 
employ  them  ;  the  meaning  I  attach  to  them  will  be  suffi- 
ciently plain  without  this.  But  I  do  propose  here  at  the 
outset,  to  eliminate  from  their  signification  certain  ideas 
which  have  been  erroneously  attached  to  them  and  their 
cognates.  For  instance, — some  employ  the  term  youth  as 
being  synonymous  with  vigor  and  elasticity  of  mind  and 
body  ;  and  any  man  who  possesses  and  I'ctains  these  attri- 
butes they  call  young^ — whatever  nuiy  be  the  number  of 
years  that  have  passed  over  his  head.  And  so,  conversely 
they  have  associated  with  age,  the  ideas  of  imbecility, 
decre])itude,  and  decay  ;  and  they  call  no  one  old  wlio  is  not 
burdened  with  these  infirmities.  This  is  but  a  confusion 
of  ideas, — a  mistaking  of  accidents  for  essences.  In  both 
youth  and  age  the  idea  of  time  is  predominant  ;  and  all 
besides  this  that  may  be  included  in  their  meaning  is  but 


THE  GLORIES  OE  OLD  AGE.  115 

_^ ^ ■ ■ —  ' 

accidental.  Each  period  of  life,  it  is  true,  has  its  own 
peculiar  characteristics, — its  physical  and  mental  traits, 
that  are  to  it  most  belitting  and  natural.  Every  period  may 
be  perfect  in  its  hind.  At  least,  we  may,  in  conception, 
have  an  idea  of  each,  divested  of  all  defects;  and  to  make 
each  period  conform,  as  far  as  may  be,  to  this  perfect 
ideal,  is  the  great  office  and  end  of  the  discipline  of  life. 
And  the  perfection  of  human  character  can  only  be  attained 
by  passing  successively  through  all  tlie  periods  into  wdiich 
this  earthly  life  is  divided.  We  ought  not  to  desire  to 
abolish,  or  escape,  any  one  of  them, — even  were  this 
optional.  Each  has  its  advantages ;  each  its  peculiar  expe- 
riences and  enjoyments.  It  is  best  so  to  order  our  conduct 
and  restrain  our  wishes,  as  to  enjoy  and  improve  each  to 
the  fullest  extent,  as  w^e  are  passing  on  through  life.  Then 
we  will  not  be  found  indulging  in  foolish  regrets  over  the 
past,  or  in  vain  desires  to  live  over  again  any  period  that 
lias  passed. 

How  many  there  are  who  look  back  regretfully  to  the 
Jays  of  their  childhood,  and  wish  they  were  boys  again  ! 
That  seems  to  them  the  happiest  portion  of  human  lite, — 
so  free  from  cares,  so  buoyant  in  spirits,  so  easily  satisfied 
with  its  little  sports  and  pastimes.  As  they  think  of  those 
happy  days,  they  almost  wish  they  could  always  have 
remained  children.  Such  persons  surely  indulge  but  lowly 
aspirations,  and  but  petty  views  of  what  constitutes  happi- 
ness for  rational  beings.  Childhood  is  indeed  beautiful  -m 
its  season-;  but  chiefly  so  in  its  relations  to  the  after  years. 
A  ])erennial  childhood  would  be  an  awful   calamity  to  any 


116         FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

one.  We  have  perhaps  seen  examples  of  this,  in  certain 
little  unfortunates,  whose  powers  of  growth,  in  both  mind 
and  body,  had  been  paralyzed  by  some  accident  or  some 
disease ;  and  how  did  their  enforced  and  prolonged  child- 
hood excite  our  commiseration ! 

There  are  others  who  regard  adult  youth  as  the  most 
desirable  portion  of  human  existence, — with  its  high  hopes, 
its  fresh  and  springing  activities,  its  dashing  and  im])etnous 
courage.  It  is  indeed  the  most  hrilliant.  But  its  fruits 
are  unripe  ;  and  its  fruitions  are  in  no  wise  commensurate 
with  its  expectations.  Its  extended  prolongation  would 
cause  it  to  consume  itself  with  the  tires  of  its  own  ardor; 
and  would  cause  the  heart  to  sicken  by  the  frequency  of 
"hopes  deferred." 

Looking  from  the  standpoint  of  middle  life,  I  can  but 
regard  ripe  age,  which  has  been  preceded  by  a  childhood 
and  youth-time  well  improved,  as  the  grandest  and  most 
desirable  period  in  man's  earthly  being.  In  the  very 
nature  of  things  this  must  be  so.  God  must  have  ordered 
out  of  regard  to  the  laws  of  fitness,  that  the  closing  period 
of  man's  earthly  pilgrimage  shall  be  his  best.  Can  we 
conceive  that  the  merciful  Creator  could  have  started  us  oif 
upon  a  career  of  being  here  below,  which  must,  neces- 
sarily, be  one  of  continual  enjoyment  and  importance,  until 
it  shall  terminate  in  sheer  abjectness  and  inanity  ?  The 
reverse  of  this  must  surely  be  the  case, — as  respects  the 
designs  of  the  Creatoi-,  and  the  possibilities  of  human 
nature.  Our  life  ought  to  expand  and  to  increase  in  noble- 
ness, and  value  to  ourselves,  until  the  time  of  our  natural 


THE  GLORIES  OF  OLD  AGE.  117 

departure  from  "these  liitlier  and  liuman  scenes."  And 
so  it  may — if  we  will  it,  and  act  accordingly.  Advance  in 
years  ought  to  raise  us  on  to  a  higher  plane  of  existence. 
And  this,  indeed,  is  the  natural  tendency — if  we  will  but 
improve  the  opportunities  with  which  we  are  furnished  as 
we  are  passing  along. 

To  substantiate  these  views,  I  propose  to  briefly  exam- 
ine the  characteristics  and  endowments  which  are  especially 
becoming  to,  and  are  the  proper  inheritance  of  old  age. 

I.  And  in  prosecuting  this  examination  we  will  begin 
with  those  characteristics  and  endowments  which  are  of  a 
physical  nature. 

Doubtless  many  of  you  may  think  herein  I  mistake,  and 
that  it  is  not  possible  to  make  good  our  theory  by  a  refer- 
ence to  the  physical  man.  A  great  many — perhaps  the 
most — are  accustomed  to  associate  physical  infirmities  with 
advanced  years,  and  to  regard  the  one  as  inseparable  from 
the  other.  And  it  is  true  that  age  has  its  bodily  diseases 
and  infirmities  that  are  peculiar  to  it ;  and  so  indeed  has 
young  manhood,  and  every  other  period  in  the  life  of  man. 
But  it  has  its  peculiar  physical  perfections  too,  and  those 
also  of  a  type  superior  to  that  of  any  preceding  period. 
Most  of  the  bodily  infirmities  that  attend  old  age  are  tlit, 
result  of  former  excesses, — of  youthful  indiscretions  and 
indifference  to  the  laws  of  health.  A  naturally  sound  con- 
stitution, that  shall  be  properly  nourished  in  childhood, 
and  developed  in  youth  and  early  manhood  by  temperate 
and  appropriate  exercise,  is  only  brought  to  maturity  in 
age,  and  may  retain  its  force   unabated  till  the  fiat  shall 


118  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

come, — "  Dust  thou  art  and  unto  dust  shalt  thou  return." 
Fruit  falls  when  it  is  precisely  ripe  ;  it  does  not  hang  upon 
the  bough  until  it  is  decayed.  And  by  exact  conformity 
to  the  laws  of  our  physical  being,  our  bodies  would  only 
fall  to  their  mother  earth  when  all  their  powers  had  attained 
to  ripest  maturity. 

The  physical  characteristics  proper  to  old  age  are  Solid- 
ity^ Latent  Strength.,  and  Endurance.  There  will  be  less 
elasticity  than  in  youth,  less  exuberant  activity,  less  of 
overflowing  animal  spirits,  but  greater  tirmness,  hardness, 
and  hidden  power.  In  the  sustentation  of  the  system  there 
is  less  absorption  and  waste ;  and  consequently  greater 
capability  of  resisting  contagion  and  the  attacks  of  violent 
disease.  Change  does  not  go  on  so  rapidly  within  it ;  and 
its  resources  are  more  carefully  husbanded  and  more 
securely  guarded.  Hence,  it  is  comparatively  rare  that 
those  who  have  passed  middle  life  in  the  enjoyment  of 
health  are  seized  and  carried  oflf  by  those  violent  disorders 
which  are  so  incident  to  youth  and  early  prime.  Old  men 
can  endure  more  than  young.  They  are  capable  of  under- 
going fatigue  and  hardship  without  yielding  to  exhaustion. 
And  thus  we  often  hear  the  aged  farmer  say  that  he  is, — 
notwithstanding  his  years, —  "more  than  a  match  for  the 
boys;"  the  fatigues  of  labor  seeming  to  have  no  eifect 
upon  his  hardened  frame.  The  veteran  soldier  will  sit  for 
days  and  nights  without  rest,  and  it  may  be,  watching  the 
slumbers  of  his  younger  companioii  i:i  arms  wlio  has  been 
fairly  overcome  by  want  of  rest  and  sleep,  lie  bce'*>J  up 
under  the  exhaustion  of  fatigue  marches,  while  the  recrurv. 


THE  GLORIES  OF  OLD  AGE.  110 

who  has  the  suppleness  and  elasticity  of  youth  in  his  favor 
is  forced  to  succumb.  Change  of  climate,  wind  and  storm, 
seem  to  have  no  effect  upon  the  tough  old  tar,  while  the  young 
sailor  deems  them  intolerable  hardships,  and  is  well  nigh 
overcome  by  them.  The  weight  which  the  young  giant,  boast- 
ing of  his  strength,  could  not  stir,  the  liardened  muscles  of 
the  aged  athlete  enables  him  to  raise  without  difficulty. 

And,  to  these  advantages  of  latent  strength,  solidity,  and 
endurance,  the  man  of  years  adds  those  of  physical  appear- 
ance, dignity  of  mien,  majesty  of  look,  and  venerableness 
of  aspect.  Behold  the  physical  glories  of  the  ripe  old 
man  !  His  expanded  form — embodiment  of  maturity — 
fills  the  eye  and  gives  to  the  whole  figure  an  imposing 
look,  lie  plants  his  feet  with  firm  and  solid  tread.  His 
whole  demeanor  has  the  native  air  of  authority.  His  gray 
hairs,  and  benevolent  venerableness  of  feature,  can  but 
inspire  awe  and  respect  in  all  rightly  constituted  minds.  I 
confess  I  know  no  grander  sight  in  all  this  world  than  that 
of  the  ripe  old  man,  whose  eye  is  yet  undimmed  and 
whose  native  force  has  not  abated.  He  stands  as  the  sym- 
bol and  representative  of  Essential  Majesty.  Thus,  when 
the  Divine  Being  would  impress  our  minds  with  the  inef- 
fable glory  and  majesty  of  His  nature,  he  describes  himself 
as  the  "Ancient  of  Days."  In  that  transcendent  descrip- 
tion of  the  Judge  of  all  the  earth,  given  by  the  Revelator, 
He  is  represented — in  order  to  heighten  the  grandeur  of 
the  picture^as  being  crowned  with  the  leading  features 
of  age.  "His  iiead  and  his  hairs,"  says  the  apostle, 
"were  like  wool,  as  white  as  snow." 


120  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

11.     But  far  greater  than  the  foregoing  are  the  Intellec- 
tual Glories  peculiar  to  the  man  who  has  passed  beyond 
middle  life.     Some  seem  to  suppose  such   an  one  to  be 
properly  characterized    by    mental  weakness   and   decay. 
Nothing  could  be  falser  than  such  an  opinion.     On  the 
contrary,  intellectual  power  is  the  prerogative  and  glory 
of  age.     The  old  enjoy  all   those  advantages  which  are 
necessary  to  nourish  and  develop  mental  strength.     They 
have  experience.     Lengthening  years  ha\*e   continued  to 
add  to  their  stock  of  ideas.     Their  observation  is  extended 
and  embraces  a  vast  variety  and  number  of  facts,  w^hich 
form  the   rudiments  of  knowledge.     Their  judgment  has 
been  improved  and  corrected,  not  only  by  long  exercise, 
but  by  the  logic  of  time, — the  true  test  of  all  theories  and 
speculations.     While   age   has  cooled   their  passions  and 
chastened  their  imaginations,  it  has  enlarged  the  sphere 
and  lengthened  the  lines  of  their  intellectual  vision.    They 
stand  upon  the  highest  pinnacle  of  observation,  and  their 
eye  sweeps  the  widest  circles  of  knowledge.     A  man  who 
shall  grow  old  without  becoming  wise,  does  strangely  neg- 
lect the  most  favorable  of  possible  opportunities  for  increas- 
ing his  stores  of  mental  wealth.     What  feeds  mind,  save 
knowledge  ?     And  of  what   does   knowledge   consist,  but 
facts  of  observation  and  experience  ?     ']'o  gather  up  these 
facts  requires  time;  nor  can  a  sufficient  number  and  variety 
of  them  be  collected  together,  until  old  age,  to  fo'-m  any 
great  stores  of  knowledge.     And  hence  it  follows  that  not 
until  that  time  of  life  are  we,  ordinarily,  to  look  for  an 
exhibition  of  the  greatest  strength  and  compass  of  miud. 


THE  GLORIES  OF  OLD  AGE.  121 

Moreover,  tlie  very  highest  order  of  the  rational  powers 
are  only,  as  a  rule,  developed  in  mature  years.  In  child- 
hood, the  leading  intellectual  faculty  is  memory;  in  early 
youth,  the  imagination  /  in  youthful  prime,  the  practical 
reason — the  under.Htanding ,'  but  in  ripe  old  age,  the  higher 
reason.,  the  speculative  faculty,  the  power  of  extensive  and 
logical  generalization.  Like  their  physical  eyesight,  the 
intellectual  vision  of  the  old,  though  it  may  not  so  much 
take  notice  of  things  immediate  and  present,  is  longer 
sighted,  and  looks  more  profoundly  into  the  heart  of 
things. 

So  vast  is  the  field  of  knowledge  spread  out  before  us, 
that  we  can.not  make  much  progress  in  its  exploration,  while 
yet  we  may  be  young.  The  acquisition  of  learning  is  a 
slow  and  laborious  process  ;  one  must  begin  it  in  the  dawn 
of  life  and  pursue  it  even  to  the  close,  in  order  that  he 
may  become  truly  learned. 

There  are  certain  branches  of  science,  either  one  of 
which  requires  a  whole  life-time  of  devotion  to  it  in  order 
to  eminent  attainments  therein.  And  there  are  other 
branches  which  but  few  are  prepared  to  prosecute  with  suc- 
cess until  they  shall  have  mastered  preliminary  stores  of 
knowledge,  to  achieve  which  would  consume  the  whole  first 
half  of  the  life  of  man. 

There  have  been  extraordinary  examples  of  wisdom  and 
learning  in  early  youth,  it  is  true ;  but  they  are  exceptions; 
they  are  but  instances  of  diseased  ])recocity,  of  premature 
ripeness  ;  freak  of  nature,  in  whom  the  ])roper  order  is 
reversed.     Thus,  Ilermogenes,  at  the  age  of  fifteen,  taught 


122  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

rhetoric  to  the  Emperor  Marcus  Aurelius,  and  triumphed 
over  the  most  celebrated  rhetoricians  of  Greece  ;  but  at 
twenty-four  he  lost  his  fticulties  and  forgot  all  that  he  had 
previously  acquired.  Joliannes  Secundus,  at  the  age  of 
fifteen,  composed  admirable  verses  in  Greek  and  Latin,  and 
became  profoundly  versed  in  jurisprudence  and  letters,  but 
he  died  at  twenty-five.  Henri  Ileinniken  spoke  twelve 
languages  distinctly  when  lie  was  ten  months  old ;  at 
twelve  months  learned  the  Pentateuch  by  rote ;  was  per- 
fectly acquainted  with  the  Old  and  New  Testaments  at 
fourteen,  and  at  two  years  he  was  as  familiar  with  ancient 
history  as  the  most  learned  authors  of  antiquity,  but  he 
died  in  his  fourth  year.  And  many  of  those  prodigies  of 
genius  who  are  frequently  pointed  out  as  models  to  aspir- 
ing youth  are  but  of  this  same  class, — diseased  produc- 
tions, monstrous  examples  of  "old  heads  on  young  shoul- 
ders. " 

Notwithstanding  the  declamations  of  those  who  tell  us 
that  young  meii  have  produced  the  greatest  works  and 
exhibited  the  most  extraordinary  mental  power,  the  his- 
tory of  the  world  will  show,  that  in  all  the  departments  of 
learning,  and  in  all  the  pursuits  of  business  which  demand 
the  exercise  of  the  highest  order  of  mental  ability^  those 
liave  acquired  the  chief  distinction  who  have  passed  the 
middle  term  of  liuman  life. 

In  that  science  of  all  sciences  —  philosophy,  we  find 
scarcely  a  distinguished  name  who  did  not  acquire  his 
fame  in  advanced  age.  The  grandest  recorded  sayings  of 
Socrates  are  those  he  uttered  during  the  last  years  of  his 


THE  GLORIES  OF  OLD  AGE.  123 

life,  and  he  lived  till  seventy.  In  fact,  all  his  recorded 
sayings  were  uttered  by  him  after  he  veas  sixty-two  years 
old.  Plato  was  prosecuting  his  philosophic  studies  as  a 
pitpil.,  until  he  was  forty  years  of  age,  and  did  not  begin 
to  teach  philosophy  until  he  was  about  fifty,  and  he 
retained  the  vigor  of  his  faculties  to  the  ri])e  age  of  eighty- 
two.  Aristotle  continued  a  pupil  till  he  was  thirty-seven, 
and  he  was  fifty-three  before  he  established  his  school  of 
philosophy  at  Athens  ;  and  it  was  probably  subsequent  to 
this  that  he  wrote  his  works  which  have  gained  the  logical 
thought  of  the  world  for  so  many  ages.  Bacon  was  sixty 
years  of  age  before  he  arrived  at  the  full  maturity  of  his 
genius,  and  it  was  then  that  he  gave  to  the  world  his 
"Novum  Organum,"  which  has  reconstructed  science  and 
given  an  entirely  new  direction  to  our  modern  method  of 
scientific  investigation.  Ilobbs  was  sixty-two  when  he 
published  his  treatise  on  "Human  Nature,"  and  sixty- 
three  before  he  completed  his  "Leviathan."  Locke  was 
fifty-five  years  old  when  he  completed  his  celebrated 
essay  on  the  "Human  Understanding;"  and  his  other 
works  were  produced  subsequently  to  that  period.  Kant 
was  fifty-seven  before  he  developed  his  system  of  philoso- 
phy. And  Reid  did  not  finish  his  })rincipal  work  on 
mental  science  until  he  was  seventy-eight  years  of  age. 
From  these  examples  it  seems  evident  that  the  most  emi- 
nent cultivators  of  philosophy, — that  field  of  thought  to 
excel  in  which  requires  the  possession  and  exercise  of  the 
most  exalted  powers  of  reason, — have  been  those  who 
were  in  what  is  usually  denominated  "the  decline  of  life." 


124  FIFTY  YFARS  AND  BEYOND. 

Take  another  department  which  demands  of  those  who 
may  become  eminent  therein,  the  highest  order  of  wisdom, 
viz:  Law  and  jurisprudence.  And  here  the  name  ot  a 
Coke  readily  suggests  itself  But  Coke  did  not  make  his 
first  attempt  as  an  author  on  law  until  he  was  fi.fty  ^^ears 
old.  His  great  works  were  produced  between  that  age 
and  his  death  at  eighty.  Probably  the  greatest  work  on 
law  ever  written  is  by  Montesquieu ;  and  this  he  did  not 
finish  until  he  was  about  sixty  years  of  age.  The  fame  of 
Lord  Mansfield  as  a  judge  is  world-wide ;  but  he  acquired 
all  that  fame  after  he  was  more  than  fifty  years  of  age. 
Our  own  Storey  achieved  his  fame  as  a  judge  and  writer 
upon  jurisprudence  in  his  mature  age. 

Many  of  the  most  renowned  naturalists  acquired  their 
distinction  at  an  advanced  age.  Copernicus  was  nearly 
fifty  before  the  theory  of  planetary  motions,  which  now 
prevails,  suggested  itself  to  his  mind  ;  nor  did  he  succeed 
in  establishing  its  truth  to  his  own  satisfaction  until  he  was 
seventy,  when  he  gave  it  to  the  world.  The  most  cele- 
brated lectures  of  Cuvier  were  delivered  when  he  was  fifty 
years  old  and  upward.  Humboldt  was  seventy-five  when 
he  began  his  great  work — the  "Cosmos."  And  our  own 
Franklin  was  forty  before  he  began  his  investigations  in 
natural  philosophy. 

That  old  men  can  excel  in  statesmanship  and  diplomacy 
the  names  of  Tallej-rand,  Franklin,  Metternich,  Lord  Pal- 
merston,  Seward,  and  Bismark  are  sufficient  to  prove. 

It  is  generally  thought  that  excellence  in  the  fine  arts  is 
the  special  prerogative  of  youth, — before  the  passions  are 


THE  GL0BIE8  OF  OLD  AGE.  125 

cooled  by  time,  or  the  imagination  has  lost  its  ardor.  But 
a  slight  examination  of  the  subject  will  convince  us  that 
even  in  this  department  of  human  skill  and  genius,  a  large 
share  of  the  grandest  productions  have  been  brought  forth 
bj  those  who  had  passed  the  middle  term  of  life.  Thus, 
in  poetry,  the  name  of  Homer  stands  unrivalled  in  the 
ancient  world.  But  history  describes  Homer  as  old  and 
blind  when  he  went  about  reciting  his  Iliad  to  the  rapt  Gre- 
cian multitudes.  Dante  did  not  tinisli  his  "Divine  Com- 
media"  tlM  he  was  near  sixty.  And  Milton  did  not 
commence  the  composition  of  his  immortal  epic,  "  Para- 
dise Lost,"  until  he  was  past  fifty-four  years  of  age.  And 
these  works  are,  and  always  will  remain,  the  most  marvel- 
ous exhibitions  of  poetic  genius. 

Tlie  same  is  true  in  the  department  of  music.  The 
grandest  musical  compositions  of  Beethoven  were  produced 
after  he  was  fortv  vears  old.  Mozart  indeed  died  youns: — 
at  thirty-six  ;  but  his  best  piece,  l!is  famous  "Requiem," 
was  his  last.  Handel  composed  his  most  celebrated  w^orks 
after  he  was  fifty.  His  "  Messiah ' '  was  not  completed  till  his 
fifty-seventh  year,  and  he  died  at  the  age  of  seventy-four 
in  the  possession  of  undiminished  powers  as  a  musical 
composer.  Haydn's  "Creation"  was  written  when  he 
was  seventy  years  of  age,  and  Gluck's  greatest  performances 
were  executed  when  he  was  sixty-four. 

Sculpture  is  an  art  in  which  perfection  can  be  acquired 
only  by  long  and  patient  practice,  aud  therefore  the  most 
celebrated  creations  of  the  statuary  art  have  been  wrought 
by  those  advanced  in  years.     The  acknowledged  head  of 


126         FIPTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

sculpture  in  Rome,  Mr.  Gibson,  is  nearly  seventy.  And 
Raucli,  one  of  the  greatest  sculptors  of  the  age,  is  now 
eighty-three. 

It  is  the  same  in  painting.  Michael  Angelo  did  not  turn 
his  attention  to  this  art  till  he  was  thirty-four.  His  great 
work,  the  "Last  Judgment,"  was  only  finished  when  he 
was  sixty-seven.  And  at  seventy  he  turned  his  attention 
to  architecture,  in  which  he  also  became  a  master.  Our 
own  countryman,  Benjamin  West,  painted  the  celebrated 
picture  of  "Christ  Healing  the  Sick,"  in  his  sixty -fifth 
year.  And  his  biographer  says  of  him,  "  He  died  in  his 
eighty-second  year  without  any  definite  complaint,  his  fac- 
ulties unimpaired,  his  cheerfulness  uneclipsed,  and  with 
looks  serene  and  benevolent.  " 

These  examples,  to  which  I  have  referred,  are  sufficient 
to  convince  us  that  age  is  the  period  of  life  in  which  the 
highest  powers  of  intellect  come  to  perfection,  and  most 
fully  display  themselves  in  the  works  which  they  achieve. 

This  natural  intellectual  superiority  of  those  advanced  in 
years  gives  them  the  right  to,  and  fits  them  for,  the  con- 
trol and  direction  of  the  world's  affairs.  The  aged  may 
)iot  be  so  well  fitted  for  the  bustle  and  turmoil  of  active 
life,  but  this  does  not  constitute  a  reason  why  they  should 
retire  from  the  responsibilities  and  cares  connected  with 
Me  guidance  of  tlie  world's  movements.  To  plan,  is  a 
more  exalted  function  than  to  execute.  The  ability  of  com- 
mand is  more  honorable  than  the  ability  of  performance. 
The  faculty  of  wisdom  is  a  diviner  gift  than  the  faculty  of 
energetic  action.     And  it  is  the  especial  province  of  wis- 


THE  GLORIES  OE  OLD  AGE.  l2T 

doin  to  issue  orders  and  to  command  the  elements  around 
it  bj  tlie  power  of  its  utterances. 

Thought  must  rule.     Ideas  must  give  laws  to  the  labors 
and  activities  of  men.      The  world's  thinkers  are,  after  all, 
its  lords  and  govei-nors.     Those  who  see   the  farthest  and 
look   the   deepest  into  things  will  inevitably  give  laws  to 
other  men.     And  therefore  must  they  who  have  arrived  at 
that  period  in  which  the  intellect  is  most  fully  develojK'd 
be  endowed  with  the  authority  to  rule  over  the  rest  of  man- 
kind.    Hence,   in    the  natural  fitness  of  things  must  old 
men,  upon  whom  the  mantle  of  wisdom  has  fallen,  preside 
over  and  direct  the  various  movements  of  society.     And 
it  is,  moreover,  matter  of  fact  that  such  is  the  case.     Even 
here    among  us,  where   it  is  vainly   attenipted  to  give  to 
"Young  America  "  the  control  of  affairs,    every   depart- 
ment of  business,  and  every  branch  of  industrial  pursuits, 
is  presided  over  by  the   intellect  and  experience  of  age. 
The  working  of  this  principle   may  be  contemplated  upon 
a  large  scale,  in  the  relative  influence  of  the  several  sections 
or  comnmnities  composing  a  nation.     It  will  be  found  that, 
in  every  State,  the  oldest  comnmnities,  other  things  being 
equal,  mould  the  character  of  the  rest.    Thus,  in  this  coun- 
try, Xew  England  influence  predominates  and  has  fixed  ita 
stamp    upon   the  social  habits,    ideas,    and    usages  of  our 
whole  northern  population.     And  the  same  principle  holds 
good  in  resiiect  of  the  relation  which  individual   men  sus- 
tain to  the  various  elements  of  social  life.     The  counsels 
of    veteran     statesmen     are     most    operative    in    shaping 
political  laws  and  institutions.     Their  more  comprehensive 


128         FIFTY  YEARS  AMD  BEYOND, 


views  and  deeper  knowledge  of  the  intricacies  of  legisla- 
tion enable  them  to  baffle  the  crude  plans  and  rash  projects 
of  young  politicians.  And  besides,  people  will  give  greater 
heed  to  the  advice  of  those  whose  words  are  familiar — 
whose  voices  the}-  have  long  been  wont  to  hear.  It  is  our 
aged  merchants  who  most  thoroughly  understand  the  laws 
of  trade,  and  who  are,  therefore,  enabled  to  control  the 
activities  of  commerce.  And  besides,  the  largest  share  of 
capital  invested  in  commercial  enterprise  is  in  the  hands 
of  this  class,  the  result  of  the  accumulations  of  many  years 
of  industry  and  skill  ;  and  we  all  know  that  capital  guides 
the  operations  of  trade.  The  elders  in  society,  by  virtue  of 
their  natural  position  and  relations,  take  charge  of  the 
education  of  the  young ;  and  thus  do  they  form  the  mind  and 
shape  the  character  of  the  incoming  generation.  As  the 
natural  instructors  of  mankind,  they  give  laws  to  the  intel- 
lect of  the  world,  and  turn  the  activity  of  men  into  whatever 
channels  they  will.  All  the  interests  of  domestic,  social, 
and  civil  life  are  placed  under  their  supervision.  And  it 
is  impossible  for  the  race  to  break  away  from  the  influence 
and  authority  of  these,  its  tutors ;  the  world  must  be  led 
by  its  instructors. 

III.  Since  such  are  the  mental  endowments  of  old  age, 
and  such  the  position  it  occupies  in  the  social  state,  we 
inquire — what  ought  to  be  the  vioral  qualities  that  should 
adorn  it,  both  to  fit  it  to  perform  its  appropriate  functions 
to  human  society,  and  to  grace  it  with  a  character 
becoming  to  itself?  And  here  we  are  compelled  to  say, 
that  however  much   it  ought  to  be   distinguished   by  its 


THE  GLORIES  OF  OLD  AGE.  129 

superior  wisdom  and  knowledge.,  it  ought  to  be  still  more 
so  by  its  transcendent  goodness  and  virtue.  If  we  examine 
its  own  nature  and  concomitants,  we  shall  find  that,  in 
order  to  be  virtuous,  it  has  less  to  contend  with,  than 
youth.  In  the  young,  passion  is  strong,  and  desire  ardent. 
Their  quick  impulses  often  drive  them  to  overstep  the 
strict  rules  of  outward  morality ;  and  when  they  do  so,  we 
can  the  more  readily  fwrgive  them.  The  case  is  diflferent, 
however,  with  those  in  advanced  life.  Time  has  tempered 
their  enthusiasm,  and  moderated  their  feelings  ;  and  they 
have  not,  hence,  so  great  temptation  to  transgress  the  rules 
of  virtuous  propriety.  Herein  does  nature  seem  to  indicate 
to  them  their  duty  to  excel  in  goodness.  And  it  is  certain, 
that,  by  the  rules  of  human  judgment,  they  are  held  to  a 
strict  accountability  when  they  deviate  from  the  path  of 
rectitude. 

1.  As,  with  the  aged,  the  passions  should  be  subdued, 
and  placed  under  the  control  of  the  will ;  so  ought  their 
benevolent  feelings  and  affections  to  be  proportii)nately 
developed.  We  have  a  right  to  look  to  them  for  examples 
of  steady,  genial,  glowing  affection.  Nothing  is  more 
becoming  to  their  time  of  life,  than  warm  sympathy,  genial 
benevolence,  and  cheerfulness.  We  instinctively  feel  that 
age  ought  to  mellow  their  hearts,  and  deepen  the  fountains 
of  love  in  their  breasts.  For,  as  age  has  reduced  the  fervor 
of  their  malevolent  feelings,  there  is  less  to  obstruct  the 
free  play  of  the  more  kindly  emotions  of  their  nature. 
And,  again,  as  by  their  advance  in  life,  their  domestic  and 
social  relations  have  been   multiplying  and  extending,  so, 


ISO  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

m  response  to  these,  ought  their  kindly  affections  to  be 
called  forth  and  exercised  to  habitual  activity. 

And  it  will  be  granted,  I  think,  that  this  is  usually  the 
case  with  them.  Notwithstanding  the  numerous  instances 
of  ingratitude  and  betrayal  of  confidence  they  have 
experienced,  which  must  tend  to  awaken  in  their  minds  a 
degree  of  distrust  and  caution,  it  is  still  true  that  we  have 
to  look  to  them  for  the  most  beautiful  examples  of  good 
nature,  cheerful  humor,  hospitality,  broad  brotherly  charity, 
forgiveness  of  injuries,  and  depth  of  social  and  domestic 
affection,  that  the  history  of  mankind  affords.  We  should, 
indeed,  find  this  a  sad  world  to  live  in,  were  it  not  for  the 
presence  and  influence  of  our  elder  brethren,  to  bind  us 
together  by  their  love,  to  moderate  our  impetuosity,  and  to 
teach  us  practical  lessons  of  charity. 

2.  Another  moral  trait  which  is  native  and  becoming 
to  those  advanced  in  years,  is  stability  of  character.  The 
old  man  should  not  be  easily  moved.  His  views  rest  on  a 
broad  basis  of  experience,  and  ought,  therefore,  to  be  well 
and  clearly  formed.  Having  had  large  opportunities  for 
observation,  and  having  been  called  upon  by  the  various 
exigencies  of  life  through  which  he  has  passed,  to  act  with 
consideration,  we  expect  his  opinions  will  be  well-defined 
and  firmly  established  in  his  convictions.  We  do  not  look 
to  see  him  change  his  mind  readily.  It  is  proper,  in  him 
to  cling  with  tenacity  to  old  maxims,  and  to  those  rules  of 
conduct  to  which  history  has  awarded  its  sanctions.  Con- 
servatism is  not  only  his  right,  but  in  him  it  is  a  virtue, — 
an  indication  of  virtue  and  wisdom.     It  is  disgraceful  to 


THE  GLORIES  OF  OLD  AGE.  131 

the  man  of  years,  to  be  without  convictions.  To  be  run- 
ning after  vagaries, — while  in  the  young  man  it  miglit 
denote  caprice  and  love  of  variety, — in  him  it  is  indicative 
of  whimsicality  and  shallowness,  lie  ought  to  know  lohat 
he  believes,  and  v^luj  he  believes  it. 

Nor  is  this  stability  of  character,  which  we  look  for  in 
him,  incompatible  w^ith  a  love  of  true  progress.  For  true 
progress  rests  upon  a  conservative  regard  for  the  wholesome 
institutions  and  principles  of  the  past,  united  with  a  pru- 
dent desire  for  advancement.  We  do  not  plead,  therefore, 
that  it  is  becoming  in  the  aged  to  place  themselves  in  stub- 
born resistance  to  all  change,  or  to  imagine  that  the  customs 
and  usuages  with  which  they  liave  been  familiar  are  abso- 
lutely perfect.  They  may  be  cautious  in  approving  of 
innovations, — this  is  right;  but  as  the  natural  educators 
and  teachers  of  all  other  classes  of  society,  tliey  ought  to 
cherish  a  desire  for  progress,  and  a  disposition  to  keep  up 
with  the  advance  of  the  times. 

3.  There  is  a  whole  bright  constellation  of  virtues,  which 
it  was  the  aim  of  the  regimen  of  the  ancient  philosophic 
schools  to  inculcate,  that  we  find  included  in  that  maturity 
and  completeness  of  character  which  are  the  natural  result 
and  accompaniment  of  age.  As  self-control ;  a  moderation 
of  the  desires;  a  reduction  of  the  feelings  to  the  control  of 
reason.  For  this  is  the  period  of  life  in  which  reason  ought 
to  exert  completest  sway.  A  period  in  which  the  voluntary 
discipline  and  restraints  of  preceding  years  should  have 
secured  an  entire  control  of  the  desires  and  passions. 
Excesses,  at  this  time  of  life,  are  abhorrent.    The  character 


132  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

should  be  marred  by  no  vices.  There  should  be  entire 
freedom  from  self-indulgence,  and  from  all  habits  calculated 
to  excite  disgust.  These  are  bad  enough  in  the  young 
man  ;  they  are  intolerable  in  the  old.  There  sliould  be 
calmness, — a  self-poised  condition  of  the  mind,  which  will 
not  be  disturbed  by  whatever  startling  and  unexpected 
events  may  transpire.  Long  acquaintance  with  the  world, 
its  sudden  changes,  the  fleeting  and  transitory  nature  of 
all  its  possessions  and  enjoyments,  is  calculated  to  produce 
this,  and  ought  to  confirm  it  as  the  settled  habit  of  the 
soul. 

4.  And  now  I  come  to  the  leading  virtue, — the  crown- 
ing glory  of  old  age,  viz :  Piety.  However  perfect  the 
character  of  the  old  man  may  be  in  other  respects,  if  it  is 
not  adorned  with  the  Christian  graces,  it  is  sadly  and  rad- 
ically defective.  "The  hoary  head  is  a  crown  of  glory,  if 
it  he  found  in  the  loay  of  righteousness'.,''''  but  without,  the 
hoary  head  shows  badly,  and  is,  in  a  sense,  a  badge  of  dis- 
honor. For  gray  locks  to  crown  a  sinner's  head  is  an 
incongruous  spectacle,  and  can  but  produce  sadness  in  the 
right-minded  beholder. 

There  is  a  compatibility  existing  in  the  nature  of  things, 
and  apparent  to  all  minds,  between  the  native  qualities,  the 
tendencies  and  wants  of  old  age,  and  the  graces  and  com- 
forts of  the  Christian  religion.  He  who  has  entered  the 
closing  term  of  his  earthly  career,  not  having  secured  the 
blessings  of  the  Christian  faith,  has  well  nigh  come  to  the 
close  of  life  without  having  accomplished  life's  great  end. 
He   has    sadly   failed   in    that   which    his   Maker   chiefly 


THE  GLORIES  OF  OLD  AGE.  133 

required  of  liim  ;  and  the  Divine  benediction  does  not  rest 
upon  him.  We  can  hardly  frame  any  excuse  for  the  old 
man  who  is  irreligious.  The  discipline  of  previous  years 
should  have  induced  in  him  habits  of  piety.  His  expe- 
rience of  the  nothingness  of  earthly  good  should  have  led 
him,  long  since,  to  seek  an  interest  in  Christ,  and  to  "set 
his  affections  upon  things  above."  His  long  enjoyment 
of  the  divine  blessings,  and  the  favoring  providence  of 
God,  ought,  ere  now,  to  have  inspired  gratitude  in  his 
heart  and  led  him  to  devote  himself  to  the  service  of  his 
Divine  Master.  The  oft-repeated  instances  of  mortality 
that  have  come  under  his  observation  should  have  led  him 
long  ago  to  prepare  for  death,  by  laying  up  treasures  in 
heaven.  And  surely,  as  he  beheld,  day  by  day,  his  own 
apjiroach  to  the  spirit  world,  he  should  have  made  haste 
to  make  his  peace  with  God,  before  a  long,  dark  catalogue 
of  sins  and  neglects  had  accumulated  against  him. 

Old  age,  to  be  truly  glorious,  must  be  religious.  For, 
what  is  old  age,  in  its  moral  aspects?  It  is  the  harvest  oi 
life,  of  which  youth  and  early  manhood  are  the  spring  and 
seed-time  ;  the  fruitage  of  other  years  ;  the  store-house  in 
which  is  gathered  up  by  the  hand  of  time  and  nature's 
laws,  the  product  and  result  of  our  past  labors,  experiences 
and  trials.  And  since  the  great  end  of  living  is  to  grow 
better,  and  perfect  the  character  for  admission  to  a  happier 
and  holier  state  of  being,  is  it  not  manifest,  that  the  crown 
and  chief  glory  of  old  age,  are  the  graces  derived  from  the 
culture  of  Christian  piety. 

And  this  definition  I  have  given  of  the  closing  term  of 


134  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 


human  existence,  leads  me  to  suggest  to  those  in  youth  and 
early  prime,  the  importance  of  making  their  term  of  life 
subservient  to  an  honorable,  dignified,  useful  and  glorious 
old  age.  For  that  fixes  the  stamp  upon  tliis.  The  earlier 
periods  must  be  well  employed  in  order  that  honor  and  a 
good  name,  and  the  maturity  of  worthy  qualities,  may 
crown  our  character  when  our  locks  shall  be  silvered  over 
with  the  frosts  of  time.  Youth  spent  in  friviolity,  and 
young  manhood  undevoted  to  great  aims,  will  surely  bring 
on  an  old  age  of  abjectness,  and  misery,  and  dishonor. 
One  must  improve  his  early  opportunities  for  study  and 
the  discipline  of  his  intellectual  faculties,  in  order  that,  in 
mature  manhood,  his  mental  powers  may  be  fully  devel- 
oped, and  bring  forth  the  ripe  fruits  of  genius  and  learn- 
ing. And  if  we  would  have  our  character.,  in  advanced 
life,  adorned  with  those  full-orbed  graces  becoming  to  us 
then.^  w^e  must  obey  the  injunction,  to  "  Kemember  our 
Creator  in  the  days  of  our  youth." 

Those  who  in  life's  early  morning  give  their  hearts  to 
God,  and  serve  him  faithfully  from  that  time  onward,  how 
full  and  fair  do  their  virtues  shine  forth  in  their  evening  of 
life!  Truly  it  may  be  said  of  such,  ''their  last  days  are 
their  best  days."  They  excite  the  tender  sympathy  and 
love,  they  command  the  esteem  and  respect  of  all  who 
know  them,  even  though  the  friends  of  their  youth  have 
passed  away,  and  they  are  spared  beyond  their  generation. 
The  young  "rise  up  and  call  them  blessed."  The 
unconscious  influence  of  their  ])resence  and  example  is 
all-powerful  for  good.      They  never  outlive  their  days  '  f 


THE  GLORIES  OF  OLD  AGE.  135 

usefulness ;  tliey  do  not  live  beyond  their  time.  Even 
when  spared  to  extreme  old  age,  their  bent  forms  seem 
rather  to  be  bowed  down  under  the  pressure  of  the  sheaves 
of  their  wisdom  and  goodness  than  under  the  weight  of 
their  years  and  physical  decrepitude.  "With  such  the 
closing  days  of  life  are  a  going  up  into  the  mount  of  vision 
rather  than  a  decline  into  the  vale  of  death.  As  they 
stand  upon  the  last  verge  of  time,  their  spirits  catch  fresh 
inspiration  from  their  nearness  to  the  other  world.  Apoc- 
alyptic sight  comes  to  them ;  the  prophetic  sense  is 
imparted.  As  earthly  objects  fade  from  their  vision,  they 
see  more  clearly  the  glories  of  the  better  land.  As  earthly 
sounds  strike  more  dimly  on  their  ears,  they  hear  all  the 
more  distinctly  the  sounds  of  melody  coming  from  the 
heavenly  world.  And  their  departure  is  a  glorious  triumph 
over  death — a  speedy  and  happy  flight  to  that  fair  clime 
where  their  life  shall  renew  itself  forever,  by  partaking  of 
the  fruit  of  "  the  Tree  of  Life." 


THE   DIVINE  •  PRESENCE— THE   JOY  AND 
STRENGTH  OF  THE  BELIEVER. 

Rev.  AVilliam  Jay. 

"My  presence  shall  go  with  thee,  and  I  will  give  thee  rest." 

ExoD.  33:  14. 


HIS  exceeding  great  and  precious  promise 
belongs  to  the  Christian  as  well  as  to 
Moses.  What  is  he  authorized  to  expect 
from  it? 

My  presence  shall  go  with  thee  to  guide  thee,  and  I 
will  give  thee  rest  from  perplexity.  How  miserable 
would  a  man  be  in  traveling,  if  his  journey  were  impor- 
tant, and  yet  he  was  ignorant  of  the  way,  and  every 
moment  liable  t(^  err.  In  this  case  nothing  would  relieve 
him  so  much  as  a  guide  who  was  willing  to  go  with  him, 
and  able  to  show  him  the  course  he  should  always  take. 
And  his  satisfaction  would  be  in  proportion  to  the  confi- 
dence he  reposed  in  the  disposition  and  capacity  of  his 
leader.  Nothing  can  equal  the  importance  of  the  journey 
we  are  taking;  life  or  death,  salvation  or  perdition  depends 
upon  the  issue,  and  "the  way  of  man  is  not  in  himself:  it 
is  not  in  man  that  walketh  to  direct  his  steps."  If  left  to 
himself,  he  will  err  in  every  step,  and  in  the  greatness  of 
liis  f  )lly  forever  go  astray.     The  Christian  feels  this,  and 


THE  DIVINE  PRESENCE.  137 

therefore  prajs,  "Lead  me  in  thy  truth,  and  guide  me; 
for  thou  art  the  God  of  my  salvation,  on  thee  do  I  wait  all 
the  day."  And  does  God  disregard  his  cry  ?  "  I  am  the 
Lord  thy  God,  which  teacheth  thee  to  profit ;  which  lead- 
eth  thee  by  the  way  that  thou  shouldest  go."  This  extends 
to  doctrine,  to  experience,  and  to  all  his  temporal  concerns. 
He  is  not  indeed  to  look  for  miracles ;  but  he  is  under  the 
conduct  of  God,  and  he  has  given  no  promise  but  shall  be 
fulfilled.  When  the  Jews  were  marching  to  Canaan,  they 
had  a  pathless  desert  to  go  through,  but  they  were  free 
from  all  perplexity,  because  they  had  a  iiery  cloudy  pillar 
to  regulate  all  their  movements.  We  have  the  same.  For 
"this  God  is  our  God  for  ever  and  ever:  he  will  be  our 
guide  even  unto  death." 

My  presence  shall  go  with  thee  to  giiard  thee,  and  1 
will  give  thee  rest  from  apprehension.  A  Christian  has 
not  only  a  pilgrimage,  but  a  warfare  to  accomplish.  "No 
sooner  has  he  set  his  face  Zionward,  than  he  has  reason  to 
exclaim,  "  Many  there  be  which  rise  up  against  me;  many 
there  be  that  say  of  my  soul.  There  is  no  help  for  hini  in 
God."  And  what  wonder  if,  while  without  arc  fightings, 
within  are  fears?  And  how  is  he  to  ])revail  over  them'? 
He  knows  that,  if  left  to  himself,  he  must  perish  long 
before  he  reaches  that  better  country.  But  he  is  not  alone. 
There  is  one  at  his  right  hand  who  says,  "  Abide  with  me; 
for  he  that  seeketh  thy  life,  seeketh  my  life  ;  but  with  me 
thou  shalt  be  in  safeguard."  At  the  sound  of  this  his 
mind  is  relieved,  his  confidence  rises,  and  he  sings,  "The 
Lord  Js  my  light  and  my  salvation;  whom  shall  I  fear? 


138  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 


the  Lord  is  the  strength  of  my  life ;  of  whom  shall  I  be 
afraid?" 

My  presence  shall  go  with  thee  to  jyrovide  for  thee,  and 
I  will  give  thee  rest  from  anxiety.  The  manna  was  not  to 
be  hoarded,  but  gathered  daily ;  and  we  are  to  feel  our  con- 
stant dependence  upon  God  for  the  supply  of  the  Spirit  of 
Jesus  Christ.  And  is  this  trying?  Could  we  wish  it  to 
be  otherwise  ? 

"They  that  wait  upon  the  Lord  shall  renew  their 
strength."  "My  grace  is  sufficient  for  thee."  What 
more  can  we  desire  ?  When  we  have  trusted  in  God  for 
the  soul,  it  might  be  imagined  that  it  would  be  easy  to 
trust  in  him  for  the  body.  But  temporal  things  are  sensi- 
ble, and  near  and  pi'essing,  and  some  cases  would  be  enough 
to  awaken  all  their  forebodings;  but  he  has  said,  "I  will 
never  leave  thee,  nor  forsake  thee."  "  Fear  the  Lord,  ye 
his  saints ;  for  there  is  no  want  to  them  that  fear  him. 
The  young  lions  do  lack  and  suifer  hunger  ;  but  they  that 
seek  the  Lord  shall  want  no  good  thing."  Jehovah-jireh 
— the  Lord  will  provide. 

M}'^  preseVice  shall  go  with  thee  to  comfort  thee,  and  I 
will  give  thee  rest  from  sorrow.  Ilowever  you  may  be 
stripped,  you  shall  not  be  destitute  of  consolation.  Though 
the  fig-tree  shall  not  blossom,  nor  fruit  be  in  the  vine,  you 
shall  rejoice  in  the  Lord,  and  joy  in  the  God  of  your  sal- 
vation. His  presence  is  a  substitute  for  any  creature ;  it 
can  more  than  repair  every  loss.  Some  leave  us  from  want 
of  principle,  some  from  infirmity,  rather  than  depravity. 
Death  abridges  our  circles.    Who  can  look  back  over  a  few 


THE  DIVINE  PRESENCE.  139 

years,  and  not  exclaim,  "Lover  and  friend  hast  thou  put 
far  from  me,  and  mine  acquaintance  into  darkness  ?"  Yet 
if  the  lamps  be  extinguished,  the  sun  continues.  If  the 
streams  fail,  we  have  the  fountain.  Are  the  consolations 
of  God  small  with  thee?  In  the  multitude  of  thy  thoughts 
within  thee,  do  not  his  comforts  deliglit  thy  soul  ? 

But  O,  when  I  shall  gather  up  my  feet  into  the  bed,  and 
turn  my  face  to  the  wall  ;  then,  all  creatures  withdrawn, 
and  flesh  and  heart  failing,  O  what  can  support  me  in  the 
prospect,  and  above  all,  in  t)ie  ex])ericnce  of  that  event  ? 
Be  of  gcou  courage.  He  who  is  with  thee  in  the  wilder- 
ness will  be  witli  thee  at  the  swellings  of  Jordan,  and  open 
a  way  through  the  flood,  and  give  thee  a  dry-shod  passage 
over  into  the  land  flow'ing  with  milk  and  honey.  He  who 
has  been  with  thee  in  life,  will  be  still  more  with  thee  in 
death.  And  therefore  you  may  boldly  say  with  one  before 
you,  "Yea,  though  I  walk  through  the  valley  of  the 
shadow  of  death,  I  will  fear  no  evil,  for  thou  art  with  me  ; 
thy  rod  and  thy  staff  the^'  comfort  me." 

From  this  hour  let  me  never  forget  this  blessed  promise, 
"My  presence  shall  go  with  thee,  and  I  will  give  thee 
rest,"  Let  me  believe  it  with  a  faith  unfeigned.  Let  me 
ascertain  my  title  to  it.  Let  me  plead  it  before  the  throne 
of  grace.  Let  me  apply  it  in  my  per[)lc.\ities,  my  appi-e- 
hensions,  my  anxieties,  my  sorrows.  Let  me  bind  it  about 
my  neck,  and  write  it  upon  the  table  of  my  heart,  that 
when  I  go  it  may  lead  me,  when  I  sleep  it  may  keep  me, 
and  when  I  awake  it  may  talk  witii  me.     Amen. 

— Morning  Exercises, 


THE  LORD  IS  MY  STRENGTH  AND  MY  SONG. 


'^¥\'W(^'^^,  SPEAK  of    Christ  as   the  old  'man's  song. 
Quick   music  loses  its  cliarin  for  the  aged 


ear. 


The     schoohgirl    asks    for    a    schot- 


tisch  or  a  glee ;  but  her  grand  mother  for 
"Balerma"  or  the  "Portuguese  Hjmii."  Fifty  years  of 
trouble  have  tamed  the  spirit,  and  the  keys  of  .A3  music- 
board  must  have  a  solemn  tread.  Though  the  voice  be 
tremulous,  so  that  grandfather  will  not  trust  it  in  church, 
still  he  has  the  psalm-book  open  before  him,  and  he  sings 
vrith  his  soul.  He  hums  his  grandchild  asleep  with  the 
same  tune  he  sang  forty  years  ago  in  the  old  country 
meeting-house.  Some  day  the  choir  sings  a  tune  so  old 
that  the  young  people  do  not  know  it ;  but  it  starts  the 
tears  down  the  cheek  of  the  aged  man,  for  it  reminds  him 
of  the  revival  scene  in  which  he  participated,  and  of  the 
radiant  faces  that  long  since  went  to  dust,  and  of  the  gray- 
haired  minister  leaning  over  the  pulpit  and  proclaiming 
the  good  tidings  of  great  joy. 

I  was,  one  Thanksgiving-day,  in  my  pulpit,  in  Syracuse, 
New  York,  and  Eev.  Daniel  Waldo,  at  ninety-eight  years 
of  age,  stood  beside  me.  The  choir  sang  a  tune.  I  said, 
"I  am  sorry  they  sang  that  new  tune;  nobody  seems  to 
know  it."  "  Bless  you,  my  son,"  said  the  old  man,  "1 
hc;ii-(l  tli.'it  seventy  years  ago!  " 


THE  LOUD  IS  Jir  STBENGTII,  ETC.     Ul 

There  was  a  song  to-daj  tliat  touched  tlie  life  of  the  aged 
with  holy  fire  and  kindled  a  glory  on  their  vision  that  our 
younger  eyesight  can  not  see.  It  was  the  song  of  salva- 
tion— Jesus,  who  fed  them  all  their  lives  long ;  Jesus,  who 
wiped  away  their  tears ;  Jesus,  who  stood  by  them  when 
all  else  failed  ;  Jesus,  in  whose  name  their  marriage  was 
consecrated,  and  whose  resurrection  has  poured  light  upon 
the  graves  of  their  departed.  "Do  you  know  me?  "  said 
the  wife  to  her  aged  husband,  who  was  dying.  He  said 
"  no."  And  the  son  said,  "  Father,  do  you  know  me?"  he 
said  "no."  The  daughter  said,  "Father,  do  you  know 
me?"  lie  said  "no."  The  minister  of  the  Gospel  standing 
by,  said,  "Do  you  know  Jesus  ?"  "  Oh  yes,"  he  said,  "I 
know  him,  '  chief  among  ten  thousand,  the  one  altogether 
lovely!'  "  Blessed  the  Bible  in  which  spectacled  old  age 
reads  the  promise,  "  I  will  never  leave  you,  never  forsake 
you."  Blessed  the  staff  on  which  the  worn  out  pil- 
grim totters  on  toward  the  welcome  of  his  Redeemer ! 
Blessed  the  hymn-book  in  which  the  faltering  tongue  and 
the  failing  eyes  find  Jesus,  the  old  man's  song ! 

When  my  mother  had  been  put  away  for  the  resurrec- 
tion, we,  the  children,  came  to  the  old  homestead,  and 
each  one  wanted  to  take  away  a  memento  of  her  who  had 
loved  us  so  long  and  loved  us  so  well.  I  think  I  took 
away  the  best  of  all  the  mementoes ;  it  was  the  old-fashioned 
round-glass  spectacles,  through  which  she  used  to  read  her 
Bible ;  and  I  put  them  on,  but  they  were  too  old  for  me, 
and  I  could  not  see  across  the  room.  But  through  them  I 
could  see  back  to  childhood  and  forward  to  the  hills  of 


142  FIFTY  YEAUS  AND  BEYOND. 

heaven,  where  the  ankles  that  were  stiiF  with  age  have 
become  hmber  again,  and  the  spirit  with  restored  eyesiglit 
stands  in  wrapt  exultation  crying,  "This  is  heaven!  " 

I  speak  also  of  Christ  as  the  night-song.  Job  speaks  of 
him  who  giveth  songs  in  the  night.  John  Welch,  the  old 
Scotch  minister,  used  to  put  a  plaid  across  the  bed  on 
cold  nights,  and  some  one  asked  him  why  he  put  it  there. 
He  said,  "Oh,  sometimes  in  the  night  I  want  to  sing  the 
praise  of  Jesus,  and  to  get  down  and  pray ;  then  I  just 
take  that  plaid  and  wrap  it  around  me  to  keep  myself  from 
the  cold."  Songs  in  the  night!  Night  of  trouble  has 
come  down  upon  many  of  us.  Commercial  losses  put  out 
one  star;  slanderous  abuse  put  out  another  star;  domestic 
bereavement  has  put  out  a  thousand  lights ;  and  gloom 
has  been  added  to  gloom,  and  chill  to  chill,  and  sting  to 
sting,  and  one  midnight  has  seemed  to  borrow  the  fold 
from  another  midnight  to  wrap  itself  in  more  unbearable 
darkness ;  but  Christ^has  spoken  peace  to  your  heart  and 
you  can  sing, 

"  Jesus,  lover  of  my  soul, 

Let  me  to  thy  bosom  fly, 
While  the  billows  near  me  roll 

While  the  tempest  still  is  high. 
Hide  me,  oh,  my  Saviour!  hide, 

Till  the  storm  of  life  is  past. 
Safe  into  the  haven  guide; 

Oh,  receive  my  soul  at  last." 

SL>ng8  in  the  night !  Songs  in  the  night !  For  the  sick, 
who  have  no  one  to  turn  the  hot  pillow;  no  one  to  put  a 
taper  on  the  stand ;  no  one  to  put  ice  on  the  temple,  or  pour 


THE  LORD  m  MY  STRENGTH.  ETC.     143 

out  tlie  soothing  anodyne,  or  utter  one  cheerful  word — yet 
songs  in  the  night !  For  the  poor  who  freeze  in  the  win- 
ter's cold  and  swelter  in  the  summer's  heat,  and  munch 
the  hard  crusts  that  bleed  the  sore  gums,  and  shiv^er  under 
blankets  that  can  not  any  longer  be  patched,  and  tremble 
because  rent-day  is  come  and  they  may  be  set  out  on  the 
sidewalk,  and  looking  into  the  starved  face  of  the  child  and 
seeing  famine  there  and  death  there,  and  coming  home 
from  the  bakery  and  saying,  in  the  presence  of  the  little 
famished  ones,  "Oh,  ni}-  God,  flour  has  gone  up  !  "  Yet 
songs  in  the  night !  Songs  in  the  night !  For  the  widow 
who  goes  to  get  back-pay  of  her  husband  slain  by  the 
"sharp-shooters,"  and  knows  it  is  the  last  help  she  will 
have,  moving  out  of  a  comfortable  home  in  desolation, 
death  turning  back  from  the  exhausting  cough,  and  the 
pale  cheek  and  the  lustreless  eye,  and  refusing  all  relief. 
Yet  songs  in  the  night  !  Songs  in  the  night !  For  the 
soldiers  in  the  field-hospital,  no  surgeon  to  bind  up  the 
gun-shot  fracture,  no  water  for  tlie  hot  lips,  no  kind  hand 
to  brush  away  the  flies  from  the  fresh  wound,  no  one 
to  take  the  loving  farewell,  the  groaning  of  others  poured 
into  his  own  groan,  the  blasphemy  of  others  plowing  up 
his  own  spirit,  the  condensed  bitterness  of  dying  away 
from  home  among  strangers.  Yet  songs  in  the  night  1 
Songs  in  the  night !  "Ah,"  said  one  dying  soldier,  "  tell 
my  mother  that  last  night  there  was  not  one  cloud  between 
my  soul  and  Jesus."     Songs  in  the  night!     Songs  in  the 

night  1 

—Tahnage's  Sermons. 


SIMPLICITY  AND  LONG  LIFE. 


'XJ-<^(j>C^fe)gvj>.t)j 


LL  persons  wlio  make  good  claim  to  intelli- 
gence and  balance  of  mind  are  desirous  of 
long  life ;  but  can  it  be  said  that  the 
larger  proportion  of  them  live  in  such  a 
manner  that  the  object  of  their  desire  is  promoted  ?  If 
one  examine  the  records  (^f  the  hundred  or  more  old  men 
and  women  now  living  in  their  ninety  and  odd,  he  will  find 
that  their  habits  in  early  life  were  simple  ;  that  they  were 
quite  regular  in  the  matters  of  eating  and  sleeping,  and 
were  not  given  to  pi-actices  of  an  exciting  or  brain-exhaust- 
ing nature.  That  there  are  some  cases  of  longevity  whose 
youth  or  early  manhood  was  not  remarkable  for  a  close 
observance  of  hygienic  proprieties  must  be  admitted,  but  it 
will  be  found  that  the  folly  of  such  a  course  was  recognized 
ere  it  had  made  very  serious  inroads  upon  the  constitutional 
vigor. 

Not  very  long  ago  the  writer  received  a  visit  from  an 
elderly  gentleman,  whose  age,  bordering  on  eighty,  would 
not  have  been  surmised  from  his  fresh  appearance  and 
active  manner.  Allusion  being  made  to  the  fact  that  he 
was  a  very  young-looking  old  man,  he  stated  that  at  thirty 
he  was  supposed  to  be  far  gone  in  consumption,  and, 
becoming    thoroughly    dissatisfied     with     the    treatment 


SIMPLICITY  AND  LONG  LIFE.         145 

received  from  physicians,  broke  away  from  them,  and 
set  on  foot  a  line  of  practice  which  had  been  suggested  by 
reading  some  magazine  articles,  and  which  he  deemed  con- 
sistent with  natural  law.  He  went  into  the  country, 
worked  according  to  his  strength,  was  out  of  doors  a  good 
part  of^every  day,  ate  the  simplest  of  food,  avoiding  every- 
thing in  the  way  of  excitement  as  far  as  he  could,  and 
found,  in  the  course  of  a  few  months,  that  his  health  was 
greatly  improved,  the  symjttoms  of  ])ulmonary  consump- 
tion becoming  less  and  less  marked.  As  the  result  of  this 
experiment  he  changed  his  business,  which  had  been  ot 
an  in-door  character,  for  another  which  gave  him  out- 
door life,  and  a  continuance  of  simplicity  in  his  habits 
established  him  in  robust  health  ;  such  bodily  vigor,  in  fact, 
as  he  had  never  realized  before,  and  which  had  remained 
his  almost  without  intermission. 

An  illustrious  example  of  regularity  and  simplicity,  and 
of  their  effects  in  prolonging  life,  although  it  be  surrounded 
with  cares  and  responsibilities,  is  the  present  Emperor  of 
Germany.  We  are  told  that  his  affairs,  public  and  private, 
are  regulated  with  the  utmost  strictness  ;  that  his  personal 
liabits  are  so  simple  that  they  have  passed  into  proverb, 
"Many  a  man  in  Berlin,"  says  a  writer,  '-who  is  not  an 
emperor,  would  look  u]-»on  the  two  or  three  slices  of 
Schwarzhrod  (black  bread)  and  bit  of  cold  meat  as  very 
meager  fare."  And  yet  such  is  his  daily  luncheon.  Con- 
tine  a  New  York  business  man  upon  such  materials  for  his 
*' lunch,"  and  he  would  deem  himself  hardly  used.  The 
Emperor  is  a  really  hard-worked  man.     The  cares  of  his 


UO  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

great  estate  are  heavy,  and  he  seeks  to  meet  and  discharge 

them.     He  is,  doubtless,  often  weary  when  the  day  is  done, 

but  lie  does  not  go  to  a  downy,  luxurious  couch,  but  to  a 

hard  military  bed,  wliich  gives  him  the  healthful  repose  so 

much  needed. 

— Science  of  Health. 


AN  OLD  MAN  is  like  an  old  wagon  ;  with  light  loading 

and  careful  usage,    it  will  last  for  years ;  but  one  heavy 

load  or  sudden   strain   will  break   it  and   ruin   it  forever. 

Many  people  reach  the  age  of  fifty,  sixty,  or  even  seventy, 

measurably  free  from  most  of  the  pains  and  infirmities  of 

age,  cheery  in  heart  and  sound  in  health,  ripe  in  wisdom 

and  experience,    with  sympathies  mellowed  by  age,    and 

with  reasonable  prospects   and  opportunities  for  continued 

usefulness  in  the  world  for  a  considerable  time.     Let  such 

persons  be  thankful,  but  let  them  also  be  careful.     An  old 

constitution  is  like  an  old  bone — broken  with  ease,  mended 

with  difficulty.     A  young  tree  bends  to  the  gale ;  an  old 

one  snaps  and  falls  before  the  blast.     A  single  hard  lift ; 

an  hour  of  heating  work  ;  an  evening  of  exposure  to  rain 

or  damp ;  a  severe  chill ;  an  excess  of  food  ;    the  unusual 

indulgence    of  any   appetite  or   passion ;  a   sudden  fit  of 

anger  ;  an   improper   dose  of  medicine — any   of  these,   or 

other  similar  things,  may  cut  off  a  valuable  life  in  an  hour 

and  leave  the  fair  hopes  of  usefulness  and  enjoyment  but 

a  shapeless  wreck. 

-  Popular  Science  Mouthli/. 


EXCITEMENT  AND  SHORT  LIFE. 


'HE  following  by  an  unknown  writer  accords 

with  general  observation  : 

The  deadliest  foe  to  a  man's  longevity  is 

an  unnatural  and  unreasonable  excitement. 
Every  man  is  born  with  a  certain  stock  of  vitality  which 
can  not  be  inci-eased,  but  whicli  may  be  husbanded  or 
expended  rapidly,  as  lie  deems  best.  Within  certain  limits 
he  has  his  choice,  to  live  fast  or  slow,  to  live  abstemi- 
ously or  intensel3%  to  draw  his  little  amount  of  life  over  a 
large  space,  or  condense  it  into  a  narrow  one ;  but  when 
his  stock  is  exhausted  he  has  no  more.  He  who  lives 
abstemiously,  who  avoids  all  stimulants,  takes  light  exer- 
cise, never  overtasks  himself,  indulges  no  exhausting 
passions,  feeds  his  mind  and  heart  on  no  exciting  material, 
has  no  debilitating  pleasures,  lets  nothing  ruffle  his  tem- 
per, keeps  his  "accounts  with  God  and  man  squared  up,"" 
is  sure,  barring  accidents,  to  spin  out  his  life  to  the  longest 
limits  which  it  is  possible  to  attain;  while  he  who  lives 
intensely,  who  feeds  on  high-seasoned  food,  whether  mate- 
rial or  mental,  fatigues  his  body  or  brain  by  hard  labor, 
exposes  himself  to  inflaminatory  diseases,  seeks  continued 
excitement,  gives  loose  rein  to  his  passions,  frets  at  every 
trouble,  and  enjoys  little  repose,  is  burning  the  candle  at 
both  ends,  and  is  sure  to  shorten  his  days. 

U7 


DON'T  WASTE  VITAL  ENERGY. 


'HE  most  vigorous  persons  do  not  have  too 
much  vitality.  People  generally  inherit  a 
lack,  or  at  least  find  that  much  vital  energy 
has  been  permanently  lost  in  their  child- 
hood and  youth  through  the  ignorance  or  carelessness  of 
their  parents.  Often  it  is  impaired  by  wrong  indulgencies 
in  early  childhood.  The  endeavor  with  all  persons  should 
be  to  husband  what  is  left,  be  it  much  or  little. 
Therefore,   1.     Don't  do  anything  in  a  hurry. 

2.  Don't  work  too  many  hours  in  a  day,  whether  it  be 
farmwork,  shopwork,  studywork  or  housework. 

3.  Don't  abridge  sleep.  Get  the  full  eight  hours  of  it, 
and  that  too  in  a  well-ventilated  and  sun-purified  room. 

4.  Don't  eat  what  is  indigestible,  nor  too  much  of  any- 
thing, and  let  good  cheer  rule  the  hour. 

5.  Don't  fret  at  yourself,  nor  anj'body  else;  nor  indulge 
in  the  blues,  nor  burst  into  fits  of  passion. 

6.  Don't  be  too  much  elated  with  good  luck,  or  dis- 
heartened by  bad. 

Positively — be  self-controlled,  calm  and  brave.  Let 
your  brain  have  all  the  rest  it  needs.  Treat  your  stomach 
right.  Keep  a  good  conscience  and  have  a  cheerful  trust 
in  God  for  all  things  and  for  both  worlds. 

148 


REST  FOR  THE  AGED. 


'HE  one  constant  fact  about  aged  people  is 
their  lack  of  reserve  force.  Tliej  emphat- 
ically live  by  the  day.  They  may  have 
vigor  enough  to  last  twenty  years,  and  yet 
fall  suddenly  under  some  strain  on  their  nervous  energy  to 
which  a  little  earlier  they  would  have  been  fuHy  equal.  A 
slight  cold  may  carry  off  the  strongest.  Recuperative 
power  is  exceedingly  feeble, — the  power  to  recover,  whether 
from  sickness,  a  nervous  shock,  or  from  the  effects  of  any 
unusual  demand  on  the  system. 

The  Herald  of  Health,  in  noticing  the  death  of  the 
poet  Bryant,  who,  at  the  age  of  eighty-four,  had  the 
appearance  of  a  well-preserved  man  of  seventy,  says : 
"But  his  age,  his  fame  and  his  ready  talent  caused  him 
to  be  brought  out  on  every  public  occasion,  and  at  the 
unveiling  of  the  statue  of  Mazzini,  in  Central  Park,  he  sat 
for  a  long  time  on  the  platform  in  the  hot  sunshine,  and 
then  made  a  speech  with  his  head  bared  and  exposed  to 
the  sun.  Before  he  reached  home  that  day  he  was  pros- 
trated by  a  stroke  of  apoplexy,  from  which  he  never 
recovered.  The  peace  and  quiet  which  belong  of  right 
to  the  aged  were  denied  him,  and  though  stricken  down  at 

149 


150  FIFTY  TEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

the  great  age  of  eighty-four,  we  may  say  tliat  he  came  to 
an  untimely  end." 

Let  friends  and  the  pubhc  remember  that  "peace  and 
quiet  belong  of  right  to  the  aged,"  and  let  the  aged 
themselves  be  wise  enough  to  assert  their  right. 


The  Two  Stkong  Arms. — A  great  scholar  in  Germany 
went  one  day  to  church.  On  his  way  he  met  a  poor  old 
man,  to  whom  he  wished  "Good  morning."  The  poor 
man  thanked  him,  but  added  he  did  not  exactly  remember 
ever  having  a  bad  one. 

"Well,  then,  I  wish  you  much  luck," 

"  I  thank  you,  sir;  but,  to  tell  the  truth,  I  never  yet 
have  had  bad  luck.  I  have  never  yei  had  a  sorrowful 
morning ;  for  if  I  am  hungry,  I  jn-aise  God ;  if  I  am  cold, 
I  praise  God ;  if  it  rain  or  snow,  thunder  or  lighten,  I 
praise  God,  and  am  always  joyful.  And  I  have  never  had 
a  bad  week.  I  resign  myself  to  my  dear  Lord  and 
Saviour,  and  am  sure  he  does  nothing  wrong." 

The  scholar  was  astonished  at  the  laith  of  the  poor  man, 
and  asked  again,  what  he  would  do  if  God  should  thrust 
him  into  hell  at  last.  "Thrust  ]ne  into  hell  ?  that  he  will 
never  do,"  answered  the  poor  man;  "but  if  he  should, 
I  have  two  arms — the  arm  oi  faith  and  the  arm  of  love — 
with  them  I  would  grasp  him,  and  hold  him  so  fast  that 
he  nmst  go  with  me ;  and  where  my  Lord  and  my  guide 
is,  there  is  my  heaven." 


BREAD  UPON  THE  WATERS. 


A    SKETCH    FROM    LIFE. 


H,  JACOB,  now  you  see  all  your  hopes 
are  gone.  Here  we  are,  worn  out  with 
age — all  our  children  removed  from  us 
by  the  hand  of  death — and  ere  long  we 
must  be  the  inmates  of  the  poor-house.  Where,  now,  is 
all  the  bread  you  have  cast  upon  the  waters  ?  " 

The  old  white-haired  man  looke^d  up  at  his  wife.  He 
was,  indeed,  bent  down  with  years,  and  age  sat  trembling 
upon  him.  Jacob  Manfred  had  been  a  comparatively 
wealthy  man,  and,  when  fortune  smiled  upon  him,  he  had 
ever  been  among  the  first  to  lend  a  listening  ear  and  a 
helping  hand  to  the  call  of  distress ;  but  now  misfortune 
was  his.  Of  his  four  boys  not  one  was  left.  Sickness  and 
failing  strength  found  him  with  but  little,  and  they  left 
him  penniless.  Various  misfortunes  came  in  painful 
succession.  Jacob  and  his  wife  were  alone,  and  gaunt 
poverty  looked  them  coldly  in  the  face. 

"Don't  repine,  Susan,"  said  the  old  man.  "True,  we 
are  poor,  but  we  are  not  yet  forsaken." 

"Not  forsaken,  Jacob?    AYlio  is  there  to  help  us  now?" 
Jacob    Manfred    raised    his    trembling    fingers    toward 
heaven. 

isi 


152  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

"Ah,  Jacob!  I  know  God  is  our  friend  ;  but  we  should 
have  friends  here.  Look  back  and  see  how  many  you  have 
befriended  in  days  long  past.  You  cast  your  bread  upon 
the  waters  with  a  free  hand,  but  it  has  not  yet  returned  to 
you." 

"Ilush,  Susan!  you  forget  what  you  say.  To  be  sure, 
1  may  have  hoped  that  some  kind  hand  of  earth  would  lift 
me  from  the  cold  depths  of  utter  want ;  but  I  do  not 
expect  it  as  a  rew^ard  for  any  thing  I  may  have  done.  If  I 
have  helped  the  unfortunate  in  days  gone  by,  I  have  had 
my  full  reward  in  knowing  that  I  have  done  my  duty  to 
my  fellows.  O  !  of  all  kind  deeds  I  have'  done  for  my 
suffering  fellows,  I  would  not  for  gold  have  one  blotted 
from  my  memory.  Ah,  my  fond  wife,  it  is  the  memory  of 
the  good  done  in  life  that  makes  old  age  happy.  Even 
now,  I  can  hear  the  warm  thanks  of  those  whom  I  have 
befriended,  and  again  I  see  their  smiles  !  " 

"Yes,  Jacob,"  returned  the  wife,  in  a  low  tone,  "I 
know  you  have  been  good,  and  in  your  memory  you  can 
be  happy ;  but,  alas !  there  is  a  present  upon  which  to 
look — there  is  a  reality  upon  which  we  must  dwell.  We 
must  beg  for  food,  or  starve  !  " 

The  old  man  started,  and  a  deep  mark  of  pain  was 
drawn  across  his  features. 

"Beg,"  he  replied,  with  a  quick  shudder — "No,  Susan 
— we  are — " 

He  hesitated,  and  a  big  tear  rolled  down  his  furrowed 
cheek. 

"We  ?ire  what,  Jacob?'' 


BREAD  UPON  THE  WATERS.  153 

"  \ye  are  going  to  the  poor-house  ! " 

"O,  God  !  I  thought  so,"  fell  from  the  poor  wife's  lips, 
as  she  covered  her  face  with  her  hands.  "  I  have  thought 
so,  and  I  have  tried  to  school  myself  to  the  thought ;  but 
my  poor  heart  will  not  bear  it." 

"Do  not  give  up,  Susan,"  softly  urged  the  old  man, 
laying  his  hand  upon  her  arm.  "  It  makes  but  little 
difference  to  us  now.  "We  have  not  long  to  remain  on 
earth,  and  let  us  not  wear  out  our  last  days  in  useless 
repinings.     Come,  come." 

"  But  when — when  shall  we  go?  " 

"Now;  to-day." 

"Then  God  have  mercy  upon  us!  " 

"He  will,"  murmured  Jacob. 

The  old  couple  sat  for  a  while  in  silence.  When  they 
were  aroused  from  their  painful  thoughts,  it  was  b}'  the 
stopping  of  a  light  cart  in  front  of  the  door.  A  man 
entered  the  room  where  they  sat.  He  was  the  porter  of 
the  poor-house. 

"Come,  Mr.  Manfred,"  he  said,  "the  guardians  have 
managed  to  crowd  you  into  the  poor-house.  The  cart  is 
at  the  door,  and  you  can  get  ready  as  soon  as  possible." 

Jacob  Manfred  had  not  calculated  the  strength  he  should 
need  for  this  ordeal.  There  was  a  coldness  in  the  very 
tone  and  manner  of  the  man  who  had  come  for  him  that 
went  like  an  iceberg  to  his  heart,  and  with  a  deep  groan 
he  sank  back  into  his  seat. 

"Come — be  in  a  hurry,"  impatiently  urged  the  porter. 

At  that  moment  a  carria^  drove  up  to  the  door. 


I5i  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

"  Is  this  the  liouse  of  Jacob  Manfred  ?  " 

This  question  was  asked  by  a  man  who  entered  from  the 
carriage.  He  was  a  kind-looking  man,  about  forty-five 
years  of  age. 

"That  is  my  name,"  said  Jacob. 

"Then  they  told  me  truly,"  uttered  the  new-comer. 
"Are  you  from  the  work-house?"  he  inquired,  turning 
toward  the  porter. 

"Yes." 

"Are  you  after  these  people?  " 

"Yes." 

"  Then  you  can  return.  Jacob  Manfred  goes  to  no 
poor-house  while  I  live." 

The  porter  gazed  inquisitively  into  the  features  of  the 
man  who  addressed  him,  and  then  left  the  house. 

"Don't  you  remember  me?"  exclaimed  the  stranger, 
grasping  the  old  man  by  the  hand. 

"  I  can  not  call  you  to  my  memory  now." 

"  Do  you  remember  Lucius  Williams?  " 

"Williams?"  repeated  Jacob,  starting  from  his  chair, 
and  gazing  earnestly  into  the  face  of  the  man  before 
him. 

"Yes,  Ja2ob  Manfred  —  Lucius  Williams  —  that  little 
boy  whom,  thirty  years  ago,  you  saved  from  the  liouse  of 
correction — that  poor  boy  whom  you  kindly  took  from  the 
bonds  of  the  law,  and  placed  on  board  one  of  your  own 
vessels." 

"  And  are  you — " 

"Yes — yes,  I  am  the  man  you  made.     You  found  me 


BREAD  UPON  THE  WATERS.  155 

a  rough  stone  from  the  hands  of  poverty  and  bad  example. 
It  was  you  who  brushed  off  the  evil,  and  who  first  led  me 
to  the  sweet  waters  of  moral  life  and  happiness;  I  have 
profited  by  the  lessons  you  gave  me  in  early  youth,  and 
the  warm  spark  which  your  kindness  kindled  up  in  my 
bosom  has  grown  brighter  ever  since.  With  an  aifiuence 
for  life,  I  settled  down  to  enjoy  the  remainder  of  my  days 
in  peace  and  quietness,  with  such  good  work  as  my  hands 
may  find  to  do.  I  heard  of  your  losses  and  bereave- 
ments. I  know  that  the  children  of  your  flesh  are  all 
gone.  But  I  am  a  child  of  your  bounty — a  child  of  your 
kindness,  and  now  you  shall  be  still  my  parent.  Come, 
I  have  a  home  and  a  heart,  and  your  presence  will  nnike 
them  both  warmer,  brighter  and  happier.  Come,  my 
more  than  father,  and  you,  my  mother,  come.  You 
made  my  youth  all  bright,  and  I  will  not  see  your  old  age 
doomed  to  darkness." 

Jacob  Manfred  tottered  forward,  and  sank  upon  the 
bosom  of  his  preserver.  He  could  not  speak  his  thanks, 
for  they  were  too  heavy  for  words.  When  he  looked  up 
again,  he  sought  his  wife. 

'"Susan,"  he  said,  in  a  choking,  trembling  tone,  "my 
bread  has  come  back  to  me?  " 

"Forgive  me,  Jacob." 

"No,  no,  Susan,  it  is  not  I  who  must  forgive;  God 
holds  us  in  his  hands." 

"Ah,"  murmured  the  wife,  as  she  raised  her  streaming 
eyes  to  heaven,  "I  will  never  doubt  Him  again." 


BEYOND  COMPREHENSION. 

Bishop  Janes. 


HEN  Daniel  Webster  was  in  his  best  estate, 
and  in  the  prime  of  his  manhood,  he  was 
one  day  dining  with  a  company  of  literary 
gentlemen  in  Boston.  The  company  was 
composed  of  clergymen,  lawyers,  physicians,  statesmen, 
merchants,  and  almost  all  classes  of  literary  persons. 
During  the  dinner  the  conversation  turned  upon  the  sub- 
ject of  Christianity.  Mr.  Webster,  as  the  occasion  was  in 
honor  of  him,  was  expected  to  take  a  leading  part  in  the 
conversation,  and  he  frankly  stated,  as  his  religious 
sentiments,  his  belief  in  the  Divinity  of  Christ,  and  his 
dependence  upon  his  atonement  for  salvation.  A  minister 
of  very  considerable  literary  reputation  sat  almost  opposite 
him  at  the  table,  and  looked  at  him,  and  said:  "•  Mr.  Web- 
ster, can  you  comprehend  how  Jesus  Christ  could  be  both 
God  and  man?"  Mr.  Webster,  with  one  of  those  looks 
which  no  man  can  imitate,  fixed  his  eyes  upon  him,  and 
promptly  and  emphatically  said  :  "  No,  sir,  I  cannot  com- 
prehend it ;  and  I  would  be  ashamed  to  acknowledge  Him 
as  my  Saviour  if  I  could  comprehend  it.  If  I  could  com- 
prehend Him  he  could  be  no  greater  than  myself,  and 
such  is  my  conviction  of  accountability  to  God,  such  is  my 
sense  of  sinfulness  before  Him,  and  such  is  my  knowledge 
of  my  own  incapacity  to  recover  myself,  that  I  feel  I  need 
a  superhuman  Saviour. 

1S6 


AUTUMN. 

Rev.  Archibald  Allison. 


riEEE  is  an  "eventide"  in  the  year — a 
season,  as  we  now  witness,  when  the  sun 
withdraws  his  propitious  light,  when  the 
winds  arise  and  the  leaves  fall,  and  nature 
around  us  seems  to  sink  into  decay.  It  is  said,  in  general, 
to  be  the  season  of  melancholy ;  and  if  by  this  word  be 
meant  that  it  is  the  time  of  solemn  and  serious  thought,  it  is 
undoubtedly  the  season  of  melancholy ;  yet  it  is  a  melan- 
choly so  soothing,  so  gentle  in  its  approach,  and  so 
])rophetic  in  its  influence,  that  they  who  have  known  it, 
feel,  as  instinctively,  that  it  is  the  doing  of  God,  and  that 
the  heart  of  man  is  not  thus  finely  touched  but  to  fine 
issues. 

When  we  go  out  into  the  field  in  the  evening  of  the  year, 
a  difl'erent  voice  approaches  us.  We  regard,  even  in  spite 
of  ourselves,  the  still  but  steady  advance  of  time.  A  few 
days  ago,  and  the  summer  of  the  year  was  grateful,  and 
every  element  was  filled  with  life,  and  the  sun  of  heaven 
seemed  to  glory  in  his  ascendant.  He  is  now  enfeebled 
in  his  power;  the  desert  no  more  "'blossoms  like  the 
rose;"  the  song  of  joy  is  no  more  heard  among  the 
branches,  and  the  earth  is  strewed  with  that  foliage  which 


158  FIFTY  TFABS  AND  BEYOND. 

once  bespoke  the  magnificence  of  summer.  Whatever 
may  be  the  passions  which  society  has  awakened,  we  pause 
amid  the  apparent  desolations  of  nature.  We  sit  down  in 
the  "lodge  of  the  wayfaring  man  in  the  wilderness," 
and  we  feel  that  all  we  witness  is  the  emblem  of  our  own 
fate.  Such  also,  in  a  few  years,  will  be  our  own  condi- 
tion. The  blossoms  of  spring,  the  pride  of  our  summer, 
will  also  fade  into  decay,  and  the  pulse  that  now  beats 
high  with  virtuous  or  vicious  desire,  will  gradually  sink, 
and  then  stop  forever.  We  rise  from  our  meditations  with 
hearts  softened  and  subdued,  and  we  return  into  life  as 
into  a  shadowy  scene  where  we  have  disquieted  ourselves 
in  vain. 

Yet  a  few  years,  we  think,  and  all  that  now  bless,  or  all 
that  now  convulse  humanity,  will  also  have  perished.  The 
mightiest  pageantry  of  life  will  pass — the  loudest  notes  of 
triumph  or  of  conquest  will  be  silent  in  the  grave;  the 
wicked,  wherever  active,  "will  cease  from  troubling,"  and 
the  weary,  wherever  suffering,  "  will  be  at  rest."  Under  an 
impression  so  profound,  we  feel  our  own  hearts  better.  The 
cares,  the  animosities,  the  hatreds,  which  society  has  engen- 
dered, sink  unperceived  from  our  bosoms.  In  the  general 
desolation  of  nature  we  feel  the  littleness  of  our  own 
passions ;  we  look  forward  to  that  kindred  evening  which 
time  must  bring  to  all;  we  anticipate  the  graves  of  those  we 
hate  as  of  those  we  love.  Every  unkind  passion  falls  with 
the  leaves  that  fall  around  us  ;  and  we  return  slowly  to 
our  homes  and  to  the  society  which  surrounds  us,  with  the 
wish  only  to  enlighten  and  bless  them." 


THE  SUMMER  IS  ENDED. 


'IIEItE  are  several  classes  of  perRcna  of 
whom  tliese  words  are  descriptive  Tliey 
are  especially  ajJpropriate  to  the  aged. 
Those  who  are  far  advanced  in  years  were 
once  just  like  those  who  are  now  young.  There  was  a 
time  when  they  could  hardly  bridle  their  exuberance. 
They  laughed,  the}"  romped,  they  shouted,  they  sang. 
The  world  was  as  bright  to  them  then  as  it  is  to  us  now. 
Though  they  are  in  the  October  of  life  now,  it  was  June 
with  them  once.  They  take  with  placidity  tilings  that 
once  would  have  made  them  blaze  with  indignation.  Some 
times  they  may  chide  us  because  of  our  vivacity  ;  but  when 
two  or  three  of  the  aged  get  together  I  have  overheard 
them  talk  in  the  next  room  about  occurrences  which  make 
me  believe  that  when  they  were  of  our  age  they  were  just 
like  us.  How  fast  they  did  drive  !  What  strong  wrestlers 
they  brought  to  the  earth !  In  what  a  wilful  mood  they 
upset  the  sleigh  to  see  the  victims  crawl  out  of  the  snow- 
bank!  How  many  "frolics"  there  were,  and  how  many 
"quiltings."  The  aged  do  not  talk  much  to  us  about 
these  tilings.  They  wonder  why  we  are  not  as  cool  as 
they  are.  Ah  !  the  dear  souls  forget  that  July  is  ne"S'er  as 
cool  as  November.     Aged  GJiristians  used  to  be  a  great 


160  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

discouragement  to  ine  when  I  heard  of  their  great  attain- 
ments, and  viewed  my  own  spiritual  backwardness ;  but 
now  thej  are  a  great  encouragement  to  me  ;  for  since  I  have 
found  tliey  were  about  as  I  am,  I  have  come  to  the  con- 
chision  that  the  same  things  which  have  favored  them  will 
favor  me,  and  I  get  some  hint  of  what  a  good  man  I 
will  be  in  my  ninetieth  year. 

But  the  aged  feel  life  going  away  from  them.  Tliey 
stop  at  the  top  of  the  stairs,  all  out  of  breath,  and  say, 
"  I  can't  walk  up  stairs  as  well  as  1  used  to."  They  hold 
the  book  (jff  on  the  other  side  of  the  light  when  they  i-ead. 
Their  eye  is  not  as  quick  to  catch  a  sight,  nor  their  ear  a 
sound.  Instead  of  the  strong  stride  with  which  they  once 
went  along  the  street,  they  take  short  steps  now,  as  though 
about  to  stop  in  the  journey.  Their  voice  is  tremulous, 
and  their  hand  that  failed  not  to  send  the  bullet  to  the 
mark,  has  lost  its  steadiness.  Too  feeble  even  to  walk  out, 
on  pleasant  days  the  cushioned  chair  is  wheeled  to  the 
veranda.  The  bloom  and  verdure  of  their  lil'e  have 
drooped.  June  has  melted  into  July.  July  has  fallen 
back  into  Augnst,  August  has  cooled  into  September. 
"The  summer  is  ended." 

I  have  noticed  that  in  this  climate,  in  the  latter  part  of 
October  or  the  first  of  November,  there  is  a  season  of 
beautiful  weather  called  Indian  summer.  It  is  the  gem  of 
all  the  year.  A  haziness  is  in  the  atmosphere,  but  still 
everything  is  pleasant  and  mild.  And  so  I  meet  many 
who  have  come  to  that  season.  There  is  a  haziness  in 
iheir    vision,    I    know,    but   the   sweetness   of  heaven  has 


THE  SUMMER  IS  E^'DEU.  161 

melted  into  their  soul.  I  congratulate  those  who  have 
come  to  the  Indian  summer  of  their  life.  Their  grand- 
children climb  up  on  the  back  of  the  chair  and  run  their 
fingers  along  the  wrinkles  which  time  has  for  a  long  time 
been  furrowing  there.  On  sunny  afternoons  grandfather 
goes  out  in  the  church-yard  and  sees  on  the  tombstones  the 
names,  the  very  names,  that  sixty  years  ago  he  wrote  on 
his  slate  at  school.  He  looks  down  where  his  children 
sleep  their  last  sleep,  and  before  the  tears  have  fallen, 
says,  "  So  much  more  in  heaven."  Patiently  he  waits  his 
appointed  time,  until  his  life  goes  out  gently  as  a  tide, 
and  the  bell  tolls  him  to  his  last  home  under  the  shadow 
of  the  church  that  he  loved  so  long  and  loved  so  well. 
Blessed  old  age,  if  it  be  found  in  the  way  of  righteousness ! 

— Tdlmage  Sermons. 


DIYINE  PROMISES  TO  THE  AGED. 

"The  righteous  shall  flourish  like  the  palm-tree:  he 
shall  grow  like  a  cedar  in  Lebanon. 

"Those  that  he  planted  in  the  house  of  the  Lord  shall 
flourish  in  the  courts  of  our  God. 

"They  shall  still  bring  forth  fruit  in  old  age ;  they  shall 
be  fat  and  flourishing."  —Psalm  92:  12,  13,  14. 

"And  even  to  your  old  age  I  am  he ;  and  ^v-sn  to  hoar 
hairs  will  I  carry  yoii:  I  have  made,  and  I  will  boar ;  even 
I  will  carry,  and  will  deliver  you.''^  —Isaiah  46:  4. 


BE  KIND  TO  THE  LIVING 


1  ,GjA|i> .   ■ 

'•Y-'tT) 

®^ 

--(f^i^ 

1 

.(^/(il 

'<-7)if^- 

•  V,^>' 

E  LIVE  in  a  world  where  nothing  is  sure. 
To-day  our  friends  are  about  us  in  the  fresli- 
ness  and  bloom  of  health  and  spirits ; 
to-morrow  we  bend  in  anguish  over  their 
still  forms  ;  and  it  is  well  if  no  bitter  regrets  mingle  with 
the  tears  we  shed  upon  their  white  faces.  Oh,  life  is  inse- 
cure, and  the  brightest  and  most  promising  of  all  our 
treasures  may,  perhaps,  soonest  droop  and  fade.  And 
when  one  dies,  how  anxious  we  are  to  do  him  homage ! 
We  speak  of  his  virtues,  we  excuse  his-  faults  and  spread 
the  mantle  of  charity  over  his  vices,  which,  while  he  lived, 
we  had  no  patience  with.  If  we  only  had,  we  might  have 
won  him  to  a  better  life.  Had  we  exercised  toward  him 
a  little  of  the  forbearance  and  kindness  with  which  we  now 
speak  of  him,  he  had  had  fewer  faults.  IIow  often  his 
heart  ached  and  cried  out  for  human  sympathy — for  our 
sympathy — we  may  never  know,  and  if  we  could,  it  is  too 
late  to  undo  the  past,  too  late  to  soothe  and  benefit  him. 
We  may  not  take  up  the  broken  threads  of  the  life  that  is 
gone  and  weave  them  into  a  web  of  hope  and  joy ;  but 
toward  those  who  are  still  left  to  us,  who  have  ears  to  hear, 
and  hearts  to  throb  with  pain  and  grief,  we  may  be  gen- 
erous and  just,  forgiving,  loving,   and  kind. 


BE  KIND  TO  THE  LIVING.  163 

Do  not  wait  till  the  faithful,  devoted  wife,  who  has  tried 
so  hard  to  make  your  home  pleasant  and  comfortable,  is 
dead,  to  show  her  kindness.  No  funeral  pomp,  no  costly 
monument  with  loving  words  inscribed  thereon,  will  make 
up  for  past  neglect.  Could  the  fond  kisses  that  are  now 
imprinted  on  her  cold  lips,  and  the  murmured  words  of 
endearment  that  fall  unheeded  upon  her  ear,  have  been 
hers  while  living,  there  would  have  been  no  woman  in  all 
this  wide  world  fonder  or  happier  than  she. 

Do  not  wait  till  the  hands  of  the  tired  patient  mother 
are  folded  over  the  heart  that  has  so  often  thrilled  with 
joy,  or  beaten  wildly  with  pain  on  your  account,  to  do  her 
honor.  By  the  memory  of  all  the  loving  offices  which  slie 
has  performed  for  you  from  infancy  all  the  way  up  to  man- 
hood, or  womanhood,  keep  your  love  for  her  deep  and 
ardent,  dutifully  resppct  and  reverence  her,  repay  with 
interest  the  tender  love  and  care  that  she  has  lavished  upon 
you,  and  strive  to  make  her  last  days  restful,  happy  and 
peaceful. 

Be  especially  kind  to  the  httle  ones.  The  world  will 
deal  harshly  enough  with  them  ;  it  is  a  rough  world  at  the 
best.  Surround  them  with  an  atmosphere  of  love,  and 
instil  into  their  hearts  noble  feelings  and  principles  while 
you  may ;  for,  sooner  than  you  think,  other  and  less  holy 
influences  will  be  brought  to  bear  upon  them. 

Be  kind  to  the  sad,  tlie  sorrowful,  the  unfortunate,  the 
erring  and  the  fallen.  Kind  words  and  kindly  acts  cannot 
hurt  them,  and  may  do  them  a  world  of  good. 


164  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

The  Alabaster  Box. — Do  not  keep  the  alabaster  boxes 
of  your  love  and  tenderness  sealed  up  until  your  friends 
are  dead.  Fill  their  lives  with  sweetness.  Speak  approv- 
ing, cheering  words  while  their  ears  can  hear  tliem,  and 
while  their  hearts  can  be  thrilled  by  them.  The  things 
you  mean  to  say  when  they  are  gone,  say  before  they  go. 
The  flowers  you  mean  to  send  for  their  coffins,  send  to 
brighten  and  sweeten  their  homes  before  they  leave  them. 
If  my  friends  have  alabaster  boxes  laid  away,  full  of  per- 
fumes of  sympathy  and  affection,  which  they  intend  to 
break  over  my  dead  body,  I  would  rather  they  would 
bring  them  out  in  my  weary  hours  and  open  them,  that  I 
may  be  refreshed  and  cheered  by  them  when  I  need  them. 
I  would  rather  have  a  bare  coffin  without  a  flower,  and  a 
funeral  without  an  eulogy,  than  a  life  without  the  sweet- 
ness of  love  and  sympathy.  Let  us  learn  to  anoint  our 
friends  beforehand  for  their  burial.  Post-mortem  kind- 
nesses do  not  cheer  the  burdened  spirit.  Flowers  on  the 
coffin  cast  no  fragrance  backward  over  the  weary  days. 

—Bev.  D.  T.  Talmage. 

THE  OLD  MAN'S  PRAYER 
"  Cast  me  not  off  in  the  time  of  old  age ;  forsake  me 
not  when  my  strength  faileth. 

"O,  God,  thou  hast  taught  me  from  my  youth  ;  and 
hitherto  have  I  declared  thy  works. 

"Now  also  when  I  am  old  and  gray-headed,  O  God, 
forsake  me  not ;  until  I  have  shewed  thy  sti-ength  unto 
this  generation,  a?id  thy  power  to  every  one  that  is  to 
come."  —Psalm  71:  9,  17,  18. 


BE  KIND  TO  THE  LIVING.  165 

True  Philanthropy. — I  saw  a  pale  mourner  stand 
trembling  over  the  tomb,  and  his  tears  fell  fast  and  often. 
As  he  raised  his  weeping  eyes  to  heaven  he  cried: 

"  Mj  brother !   Oh,  my  brother !  " 

A  sage  passed  that  way  and  said : 

"  For  what  dost  thou  mourn?' 

"One,"  replied  he  "  wliom  I  did  not  sufficiently  lo'  , 
while  living ;  but  one  whose  inestimable  worth  I  n.  v\,^ 
feel" 

"What  wouldst  thou  do  if  heaven  restored  him  to 
thee?"  asked  the  sage. 

The  mourner  replied,  "that  he  would  never  offend 
him  by  an  unkind  word,  but  would  take  every  opportunity 
to  show  his  friendship,  if  he  could  come  bask  to  his 
embrace. ' ' 

"Then  waste  no  time  in  useless  grief,"  said  the  sage, 
"but  if  thou  hast  friends  go  and  cherish  the  living,  remem- 
bering that  they  will  one  day  die  also. 


RECIPE  FOR  A  LONG  LIFE. 

In  the  volume  placed  upon  our  altars  to  guide  and 
instruct  us,  we  have  this  recipe  for  a  long  and  happy  life: 

"He  that  will  love  life,  and  see  good  days,  let  him  re- 
frain his  tongue  from  evil,  and  his  lips  that  they  speak  no 
guile. 

"  Let  him  eschew  evil,  and  do  good;  let  him  seek  peace, 
and  ensue  it."  *  —1  Peter  3:  11. 


TRUST  IN  GOD. 


HE  happiness  of  the  Christian  is  always  in 
proportion  to  the  sincerity  and  depth  of  his 
trust  in  God,  He  may  be  overwhelmed  by 
affliction,  his  plans  may  be  thwarted,  his 
good  name  assailed,  his  hopes  for  this  world  blasted ;  and 
yet,  if  he  has  an  unimpaired,  serene,  loving  trust  in  God, 
his  peace  will  be  as  a  river,  whose  pure  depths  and  strong 
currents  are  undisturbed  by  the  things  that  vex  its  surface. 
Nowhere  in  the  Bible  is  this  trust  more  powerfully  and 
sublimely  depicted  than  in  the  prayer  of  Habakkuk: 
"Although  the  fig  tree  shall  not  blossom,  neither  shall 
fruit  be  in  the  vines ;  the  labor  of  the  olive  shall  fail,  and 
the  fields  shall  yield  no  meat ;  the  flock  shall  be  cut  off 
from  the  fold,  and  there  shall  be  no  herd  in  the  stalls  ;  yet 
I  wi'll  rejoice  in  the  Lord,  I  will  joy  in  the  God  of  my  sal- 
vation." The  sublime  poetry  of  the  Orient  is  in  these 
words,  but  they  are  not  too  strong  to  express  the  feelings 
of  one  in  any  clime  or  age,  whose  mind  and  heart  are 
truly  "stayed  on  God." 

In  times  of  prosperity,  when  our  veins  are  full  of  healthy 
blood,  when  family  and  social  ties  are  unbroken,  and  our 
hopes  and  ambitions  are  not  thwarted,  but  moving  on  in 
the  full  tide  of  success,  we  may  easily  persuade  ourselves 


TRVST  IN  GOD.  167 

that  we  are  trusting  in  God,  while  in  fact  our  faith  in  Ilim 
is  of  the  feeblest  sort.  It  is  when  troubles  come,  and  all 
earthly  supports  fail  us,  that  our  faitli  is  put  to  the  test. 
If  then  our  trust  does  not  fail  us,  happy  indeed  are  we. 
Such  a  faith  is  not  too  dearly  purchased  by  any  earthly 
calamity  or  loss,  and  to  many  doubtless  it  never  comes 
through  any  other  process.  Any  trouble  or  affliction  that 
brings  us  near  to  God,  and  leads  us  to  cast  ourselves  unre- 
servedly upon  him  as  our  strength,  our  providence  and  our 
eternal  hope,  is  a  blessing  for  which  we  should  be  pro- 
foundly thankful.  Such  a  faith  exalts  and  ennobles  all  the 
virtues  and  graces  of  humanity,  deepens  the  sources  and 
widens  the  domain  of  character,  and  fits  us  for  the  highest 
usefulness  and  happiness  in  any  sphere  of  life.  Such  a 
faith  gives  us  power  over  men  to  win  them  from  selfish 
and  worldly  ways  and  bring  them  to  Christ.  We  may 
have  a  creed  of  unquestioned  soundness,  and  know  how  to 
defend  it  by  arguments  that  no  man  can  impeach ;  but  if 
we  lack  the  "sweetness  and  light"  that  are  born  of  a 
pure  trust  in  God,  and  a  sense  of  intimacy  with  him,  our 
infiuence  as  Christians  will  be  poor  and  small.  It  is  well 
to  preach  Christ  in  our  words,  but  far  better  to  preacli  him 
in  our  example,  and  by  all  the  influences  that  flow  out  of 
a  character  formed  upon  the  model  of  his  Divine  nianhood. 
The  trust  in  God,  of  which  we  speak,  will  cause  our  faces  to 
shine  and  our  eyes  to  glow  with  a  heavenly  radiance,  and 
our  lives  will  distill  an  aroma  so  pure,  that  men,  taking 
knowledge  of  us  that  we  liave  been  with  Jesus,  will  be 
drawn  toward  him  by  an  irresistible  attraction. 


168  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 


Trust  in  God  is  a  well-spring  of  joj  and  peace  in  the 
heart,  springing  up  evermore  unto  life  eternal.  Having 
this  Divine  inheritance,  knowing  God  as  he  is  revealed  in 
Christ  Jesus,  and  having  no  will  but  his,  we  can  appro- 
l)riate,  as  descriptive  of  our  daily  experience,  the  precious 
lines  of  Faber: 

"He  always  wins  who  sides  with  God, 
To  him  no  chance  is  lost ; 
God's  will  is  sweetest  to  him  when 
It  triumphs  at  his  cost. 

"Ill  that  God  blesses  is  our  good, 
And  unblest  good  is  ill  ; 
And  all  is  right  that  seems  most  wrong, 
If  it  be  his  dear  will. 

"  When  obstacles  and  trials  seem 
Like  prison-walls  to  be, 
I  do  the  little  I  can  do. 
And  leave  the  rest  to  thee. 

"I  have  no  cares,  O  blessed  will! 
For  all  my  cares  are  thine ; 
I  live  in  triumph.  Lord,  for  thou 
Hast  made  thy  triumphs  mine." 


"  The  Lord  God  is  a  sun  and  shield  :  the  Lord  will  give 
grace  and  glory;  no  good  thmg  will  he  withhold  from 
tlicm  tliat  walk  uprightly."  —Psalm  84:  \\ 


REMEDIES  FOR  ANXIETY. 


NXIETY  is  the  poison  of  life  ;  the  parent  of 
numy  sins  and  of  more  miseries.  Wliy, 
then,  allow  it,  when  we  know  that  the  future 
is   guided  by  a  Father's  hand.        —Blair. 

Oh,  ask  not  thou.  How  shall  I  shear 

The  burden  of  to-morrow ! 
Sufficient  for  the  day  its  care, 

Its  evil  and  its  sorrow. 
Thy  God  imparteth  by  the  way 

Strength  that's  sufficient  for  the  day. 

"Take,  therefore,  no  thought  for  the  morrow,  for  the 
morrow  shall  take  thought  for  the  things  of  itself.  Suffi- 
cient unto  the  day  is  the  evil  thereof." 

—Jesus  Christ,  Matt.  6:  34. 

"Casting  all  your  care  upon  him;  for  he  careth  for 
you."  —Peter,  1  Feter  5:  7. 

"  Cast  thy  burden  upon  the  Lord,  and  he  shall  sustain 
thee."  —David,  Ps.  5:  22. 

Leave  the  future  ;  let  it  rest, 

Simply  on  the  Saviour's  will; 
Leave  the  future  ;  they  are  blest, 

Who  confiding,  hoping  still. 
Trust  his  mercy 
To  provide  for  every  want. 

And  to  save  from  every  ili. 


169 


no  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

If  we   are   faithful   to   the  duties   of  the   present,   God 

will  provide  for  the  future. 

—BedeU. 

We  can  easily  manage,  if  we  will  only  take,  each  day, 
the  burden  appointed  for  it.  But  the  load  will  be  too 
heavy  for  us  if  we  add  to  its  weiglit  the  burden  of  to-mor- 
row before  we  are  called  to  bear  it. 

— John  Newton. 

MaWfe  a  iirm-built  fence  of  trust 

All  around  to-day, 
Fill  the  space  with  loving  work, 

And  within  it  stay. 
Look  not  through  the  sheltering  bars, 

Anxious  for  the  morrow, 
God  will  help  in  all  that  comes, 

Be  it  joy  or  sorrow. 

One  of  the  most  useless  of  all  things  is  to  take  a  deal  of 

trouble  in   providing   against   dangers  that  never   come. 

How  many  toil  to  lay  up  riches  which  they  never  enjoy, 

to  provide  for  exigencies  that  never  happen,  to  prevent 

troubles  that  never  come ;  sacrificing  present  comfort  and 

enjoyment  in  guarding  against  the  wants  of  a  period  they 

may  never  live  to  see. 

—  Wm.  Jay. 

Say  not,  my  soul,  ' '  From  whence 

Can  God  relieve  my  care?" 

Remember  that  Omnipotence 

Hath  servants  everywhere. 

— Lynch, 


BEMEDIE8  FOR  ANXIETY.  171 

He  that  knows  how  to  pray  has  the  secret  of  support  in 

trouble,  and  of  relief  from  anxiety;  the  power  of  soothing 

every   care,   and    tilling   the   soul   with   entire   trust   and 

confidence  for  the  future. 

—  Wm.  Jay. 

Doth  each  day,  upon  its  wing, 
Its  allotted  burden  bring? 
Load  it  not  beside  with  sorrow. 
Which  may  never  come  to-morrow  ; 
One  thing  only  claims  thy  care, 
Seek  it  first  in  faitli  and  prayer  ; 
All  thou  ma^'est  need  beside 
He  thou  trustest  will  provide. 


Borrowing  Trouble. — "The  worst  evils,"  says  a  pro- 
verb, "  are  those  which  never  arrive."  By  way  of  prac- 
tical counsel  to  all  borrowers  of  trouble,  I  would  say,  face 
the  real  difficulties  and  troubles  of  life  and  you  will  not 
have  time  for  practicing  the  art  of  self-tormenting.  The 
most  contented  people  in  the  world  are  those  who  are  most 
occupied  in  alleviating,  with  Christian  heart  and  hand,  the 
sorrows  that  the  flesh  is  heir  to.  Visit  the  homes  ot 
ignorance,  and  poverty,  and  vice,  and  in  face  of  the  ter- 
rible reality  you  will  there  witness,  your  own  petty  cares 
will  seem  as  nothing.  The  anxieties  of  the  future  will 
vanish  altogether,  while  you  will  be  better  able  to  bear 
those  burdens  which,  though  real,  will  seem  light  to  you 
by  comparison, 


172  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

Never  give  way  to  Melancholy. — One  great  remedy 

is  to  take  short  views  of  life.     Are  you  happy  now  ?     Are 

you  likely  to  remain  so  till  this  evening,  or  next  week,  or 

next   month,  or   next   year  ?     Then  why  destroy  present 

happiness  by  apprehension  of  distant  misery  which  may 

never  come  at  all,  or  j^ou  may  never  live  to  see  it?     For 

every  substantial  grief  has  twenty  shadows,  and  most  of 

them   shadows  of  your  own  making. 

— Sidney  Smith. 


Christian,  banish  thy  dark  forebodings. 
Ask   not   what  to-morrow   will   be :     to-morrow's    need 
will  bring  with  it  to-morrow's  God.     Trust  and  be  still. 

—Rev.  F.  Whitefield. 


AN  OLD  MAN'S  EXPEPJENCE. 

"  I  have  been  young  and  now  am  old  ;  yet  have  I  not 
seen  the  righteous  forsaken,  nor  his  seed  begging  bread. 
'■''lie  is  merciful,  and  lendeth ;  and  his  seed  is  blessed." 

— Psalms  Zl:  25,  26. 


"Are  not  two  sparrows  sold  for  a  farthing?  and  one  of 
them  shall  not  fall  on  the  ground  without  your  Father. 

"  But  the  very  hairs  of  your  head  are  all  numbered. 

"  Fear  ye  not,  therefore,  ye  are  of  more  value  than  many 
sparrow*  "  Matt.  10:  29,  30,  31. 


DEACON  LEE'S  EXPERIENCE. 


EACON  LEE,  who  was  a  kindly,  silent, 
faitlifnl,  gracious  man,  was  one  day  waited 
upon  by  a  restless,  ambitious,  worldly 
churcli  member,  who  was  laboring  to  create 
uneasiness  in  the  church  and  especially  to  driv^e  away  the 
minister. 

The  deacon  came  in  to  meet  his  visitor,  who,  after  the 
usual  greetings,  began  to  lament  the  low  state  of  religion, 
and  inquired  as  to  the  reason  why  there  had  been  no 
revival  for  the  last  two  or  three  years. 

"Now,  what  do  you  think  is  the  cause  of  things  being 
dull  here?" 

The  deacon  was  not  ready  to  give  his  opinion,  and,  after 
a  little  thought,  frankly  answered,  "  I  don't  know." 

"Do  you  think  the  churches  are  alive  to  the  work 
before  them  ?" 

"No,  I  don't." 

A  twinkle  was  seen  in  the  eye  of  the  troubler  in  Zion, 

and,  taking  courage,  he  asked,  "Do  you  think  Mr.  B 

a  very  extraordinary  man?" 

"No,  I  don't." 

"Do  you  think  his  sermons,  in  their  eyes,  are  held  any- 
thing wonderfully  great?" 


174  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

"No,  I  don't." 

"  Then  don't  jou  tliink  we  had  better  dismiss  this  man 
and  hire  anotlier  ?" 

The  old  deacon  started,  as  if  shot  with  an  arrow,  and,  in 
a  tone  louder  than  his  wont,  shouted  : 

"No,  I  don't!" 

"You  talk  so  little,  sir,"  replied  the  questioner,  not  a 
little  abashed,  "that  no  one  can  find  out  what  you  do 
mean." 

"  I  talked  enough  once,"  replied  the  old  man,  rising  to 
his  feet,  "  for  six  praying  Christians.  Thirty  years  ago  I 
got  my  heart  humbled  and  my  tongue  bridled,  and  ever 
since  that  I've  walked  softly  before  God.  I  then  made 
vows,  solemn  as  eternity,  and  don't  tempt  me  to  break 
them." 

The  troubler  was  startled  at  the  earnestness  of  the 
hitherto  silent,  immovable  man,  and  asked  : 

"What  happened  to  you  thirty  years  ago?" 

"Well,  sir,  I'll  tell  you.  I  was  drawn  into  a  scheme 
just  like  this  of  yours,  to  uproot  one  of  God's  servants 
from  the  field  in  which  he  had  planted  him.  In  my 
blindness  I  fancied  it  a  little  thing  to  remove  one  of  the 
'  stars  '  which  Jesus  holds  in  his.  right  hand,  if  thereby  my 
ear  could  be  tickled  by  more  flowing  words,  and  the  pews 
filled  with  those  who  turned  away  from  the  simplicity  of 
the  Gospel.  I  and  the  men  that  led  me — for  I  admit 
that  I  was  a  dupe  and  a  fool — flattered  ourselves  that  we 
were  doing  God  a  service  when  we  drove  that  holy  man 
from  the  pulpit  and  his  work,  and  said  we  considered  his 


DEA  CON  LEE'S,  EXPERIENCE.  1Y5 

work  done  in  B ,  wliere   I  then  lived.     We    groaned 

because  there  was  no  revival  while  we  were  gossiping 
about  and  criticising  and  crushing  him,  instead  of  uphold- 
ing his  hands  by  our  efforts  and  our  prayers,  the  very 
instrument  at  whose  hand  we  harshly  demanded  the 
blessings. 

"Well,  sir,  he  could  not  drag  on  the  chariot  of  salvation 
with  half  a  dozen  of  us  taunting  him  for  his  weakness, 
while  we  hung  as  a  dead  weight  to  the  wheels;  he  had  not 
the  spirit,  as  we  thought,  and  could  not  convert  men  ;  so 
we  hunted  him  like  a  deer,  till,  worn  and  bleeding,  he 
fled  into  a  covert  to  die. 

"  Scarcely  had  he  gone,  when  God  came  in  among  us 
by  his  Spirit,  to  show  that  he  had  blessed  the  labors  of 
liis  dear  rejected  servant.  Our  own  hearts  were  broken, 
and  our  wayward  children  converted  ;  and  I  resolved,  at  a 
convenient  season,  to  visit  my  former  pastor  and  confess 
my  sin,  and  thank  him  for  his  faithfulness  to  my  wayward 
sons,  which  like  long  buried  seed  had  now  sprung  up. 
But  God  denied  me  that  relief,  that  he  might  teach  me  a 
lesson  that  every  child  of  his  ought  to  learn — that  he  who 
toucheth  one  of  his  little  ones,  toucheth  the  apple  of  his 
eye. 

"  I  heard  my  pastor  was  ill,  and  taking  my  oldest  son 
with  me,  set  out  on  a  twenty-five  mile  ride  to  see  him.  It 
was  evening  when  I  arrived,  and  his  wife,  with  the  spirit 
which  any  woman  ought  to  exhibit  toward  one  who  had  so 
wronged  her  husband,  denied  me  admittance  to  his  cham- 
ber.    She  said  (and  her  words  were  like  arrows  to  my  soul) 


176  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

'  He  may  be  dying,  and  the  sight  of  your  face  might  add 
to  his  anguish. '  Had  it  come  to  this,  I  said  to  myself, 
that  the  man  whose  labors  had,  through  Christ,  brought 
me  into  his  fold,  who  had  consoled  )ny  spirit  in  a  terrible 
bereavement,  and  who  had,  until  designing  men  had  alien- 
ated us,  been  to  me  a  brother — that  this  man  could  not  die 
in  peace  with  my  face  before  him.  '  God  j^ity  me  ! '  I 
cried ;  '  what  have  I  done  ? '  I  confessed  my  sins  to  that 
meek  woman,  and  implored  her,  for  Christ's  sake,  to  let 
me  kneel  before  his  dying  servant  and  receive  his  for- 
giveness. 

"What  did  I  care  then  whether  the  pews  by  the  door 
were  rented  or  not  ?  I  would  gladl}'  have  taken  his  whole 
family  to  my  home  forever,  as  my  fle&h  and  blood  ;  but  no 
such  happiness  was  in  store  for  me, 

"As  I  entered  the  room  of  the  blessed  warrior,  whose 
armor  was  falling  from  his  limbs,  he  opened  his  eyes  and 
said,  '  Brother  Lee  !  Brother  Lee!'  I  bent  over  him  and 
sobbed  out,  'My  pastor!'  Then  raising  his  white  hand 
he  said,  in  a  deep,  impressive  voice,  '  Touch  not  mine 
anointed,  and  do  my  prophets  no  harm.' 

"I  spoke  tenderly  to  him,  and  told  him  I  had  come  to 
confess  my  sin  and  bring  some  of  his  fruit  to  him  (calling 
my  son  to  tell  him  how  he  had  found  Christ).  But  he 
was  unconscious  of  all  around  him ;  the  sight  of  my  face 
had  brought  the  last  pang  of  earth  to  his  troubled  spirit. 
I  kissed  his  brow  and  told  him  how  dear  he  had  been  to 
me  I  craved  his  pardon  for  my  unfaithfulness,  and  prom- 
ised him  to  care  for  his  widow  and  fatherless  little  ones  i 


LEA  CON  LEE'S  EXPERIENCE.  177 

but  his  only  reply,  murmured  as  if  in  a  troubled  dreaiK, 
was:  'Touch  not  mine  anointed,  and  do  my  prophets 
no  harm.' 

"  I  stayed  by  him  all  night,  and  at  daybreak  I  closed 
ids  eyes. 

"  I  offered  his  widow  a  house  to  live  in  the  remainder  of 
her  days ;  but,  like  a  heroine,  she  said:  'I  freely  forgive 
vou ;  but  my  children,  who  entered  deeply  into  their 
father's  anguish,  shall  never  see  me  so  regardless  of  his 
memorv  as  to  take  anything  from  those  who  caused  it.  He 
has  left  us  all  with  his  covenant  God,  and  he  will  care 
for  us.' 

"Well,  su*,  those  dying  words  sounded  in  my  ears  from 
that  coffin,  and  from  that  grave.  When  I  slept,  Christ 
stood  before  my  dream,  saying  :  '  Touch  not  mine  anointed, 
do  my  prophets  no  harm. '  These  words  followed  me  till 
I  fully  realized  the  esteem  in  which  Christ  holds  those 
men  who  have  given  up  all  for  his  sake,  and  I  vowed  to  love 
them  evermore  for  his  sake,  even  if  they  are  not  perfect. 

"And  since  that  day,  sir,  I  have  talked  less  than  before, 
and  have  supported  my  pastor,  even  if  he  is  not  a  very 
extraordinary  man.  My  tongue  shall  cleave  to  the  roof  of 
my  mouth,  and  my  right  hand  forget  its  cunning,  before  I 
dare  to  put  asunder  what  God  has  joined  together.  When 
a  minister's  work  is  done  in  a  place,  I  believe  God  will 
show  it  to  him.  I  will  not  join  you,  sir,  in  the  scheme 
that  brought  you  here ;  and,  moreover,  if  I  hear  another 
word  of  this  from  your  Hps,  I  shall  ask  the  brethren  xo 
deal  with  you  as  with  one  who  causes  divisions. 


178  FIFTY  YEAR8  AJ\'D  BEYOND. 

'I  would  give  all  I  own  to  recall  what  I  did  tlij/ty 
jearB  ago. 

•'Stop  where  you  are  and  pray  God,  if  perchance  the 
thought  of  your  heart  may  be  forgiven  you." 

This  decided  reply  put  an  end  to  the  new-comer's  efforts 
to  get  a  minister  who  could  make  more  of  a  stir.  There 
is  cften  great  power  in  the  little  word  "no;"  but  some- 
times   it    requires    not   a   little    courage    to    speah    it   so 

resolutely  as  did  the  silent  deacon. 

— Christian  Mesbvnyer. 


A  KmD  WOED  FOR  THE  AGED. 
J.  P.  Newman,  D.D. 


Old  age  may  be  enfeebled  and  incompetent,  but  where  it 
is  vigorous,  it  should  not  be  exchanged  for  inexperience. 
If  an  old  man  will  not  keep  abreast  with  the  best  and  last 
thought  of  the  times,  let  him  retire  ;  but  let  us  be  cautious 
how  we  displace  a  man  simply  because  he  has  seen  many 
years.  The  cry  for  young  blood  is  vicious  ;  it  is  a  premium 
on  babyhood.  Give  young  men  the  best  chance  to  rise  to 
positions  of  trust  and  honor,  but  let  them  remember  that 
their  chances  are  lessened  by  impatience.  The  last  dis- 
covery in  our  high  civilization  is,  that  intellectual  men  are 
in  their  prime  at  seventy.  Experience  is  more  valuable 
than  the  gush  of  young  manhood. 


EVERLASTING    YOUTH. 

Rev.  Edmund  II.  Seaks.* 


LD  AGE,  in  some  of  its  aspects,  is  a  most 
interesting  and  solemn  m};stery;  though  to 
the  outward  eye  it  is  merely  the  gradual 
waning  and  extinction  of  existence.  All 
the  faculties  fold  tliemselves  up  to  a  long,  last  sleep. 
First,  the  senses  begin  to  close,  and  lock  in  the  soul  from 
the  outward  world.  The  hearing  is  generally  the  first  to 
fail,  shutting  off  the  mind  from  the  tones  of  affection  and 
of  melody.  The  sight  fails  next;  and  the  pictures  of 
beauty  on  the  canvas  spread  round  us  morning  and  eve- 
ning, become  blurred.  The  doors  and  windows  are  shut 
toward  the  street.  The  invasion  keeps  on  steadily  toward 
the  seat  of  life.  The  images  of  the  memory  lose  their 
outline,  run  together,  and  at  last  melt  away  into  darkness. 
Now  and  then,  by  special  efforts,  rents  are  made  in  the 
clouds,  and  we  see  a  vista  opening  through  the  green  glades 
of  other  years.  But  the  edges  of  the  clouds  soon  close 
again.  It  settles  down  more  densely  than  ever,  and  all 
the  past  is  blotted  out.  Then  the  reason  fails,  and  the 
truths  it  had  elaborated  flicker  and  disappear.  Only  the 
affections  remain.     Happy  for  us   if  these  also  have  not 

♦From  Foregleams  of  Immortality. 


180  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

become  soured  and  cliilled.  It  is  our  belief,  however, 
that  these  may  be  preserved  in  their  primitive  freshness 
and  glow ;  and  that  in  the  old  age  where  the  work  of  regen- 
eration is  consummating,  the  affections  are  always  preserved 
bright  and  sweet,  like  roses  of  Eden,  occupying  a  charmed 
spot  in  the  midst  of  snows.  In  old  age,  men  seem  to  have 
grown  either  better  or  worse.  The  reason  is,  that  the 
internal  life  is  then  more  revealed,  and  its  spontaneous 
workings  are  more  fully  manifested.  The  intellectual 
powers  are  no  longer  vigilant  to  control  the  expression  of 
the  internal  feelings,  and  so  the  heart  is  generally  laid 
open.  What  we  call  the  moroseness  and  peevishness  of 
age,  is  none  other  than  the  real  disposition,  no  longer 
hedged  in  and  kept  in  decency  by  the  intellect,  but  coming 
forth  without  disguise.  So  again,  that  beautiful  simplicity 
and  infantile  meekness,  sometimes  apparent  in  old  age, 
beaming  forth  like  the  dawn  of  the  coming  heaven 
through  all  the  relics  of  natural  decay,  are  the  spontaneous 
effusions  of  sanctified  affections.  There  is,  therefore,  a 
good  and  bad  sense  in  which  we  speak  of  the  second 
childhood.  Childhood  is  the  state  of  spontaneity.  In  the 
first  childhood,  before  the  intellect  is  formed,  the  heart 
answers  truly  to  all  impressions  from  without ;  as  the 
asolian  harp  answers  truly  to  every  touch  of  the  breeze. 
In  the  second  childhood,  after  the  intellect  is  broken  down, 
the  same  phenomenon  comes  around  again ;  and  in  it  you 
read  the  history  of  all  the  intervening  years.  What  those 
years  have  done  for  the  regeneration  of  the  soul  will 
appear,  now  that  its  inmost  state  is  translucent,  no  longer 


EVERLASTING    YOUTH.  181 

concealed  by  the  expediencies  learned  of  intellectual  })ru- 
dence.  When  the  second  childhood  is  true  and  genial, 
the  work  of  regeneration  approaches  its  consummation, 
and  the  light  of  heaven  is  reflected  from  silver  hairs,  as  il 
one  stood  nearer  to  Paradise,  and  caught  reflections  of  the 
resurrection  glories. 

But,  alas  !  is  this  all  that  is  left  of  us  amid  the  memo- 
rials of  natural  decay  ?  Senses,  memory,  reason,  all 
blotted  out  in  succession,  and  instinctive  affection  left 
alcme  to  its  spontaneous  workings,  like  a  solitary  flower 
breathing  its  fragrance  upon  snows  ?  And  how  do  we 
know  but  this.,  too,  will  close  up  its  leaves  and  fall  before 
the  touch  of  the  invader  ?  Then  the  last  remnant  of  the 
man  is  no  more.  Or,  if  otherwise,  must  so  many  souls 
enter  upon  their  immortality  denuded  of  everything  but 
the  heart's  inmost  and  ruling  love? 

How  specious  and  deceptive  are  natural  appearances ! 
What  seemed  to  the  outward  eye  the  waning  of  existence, 
and  the  loss  of  faculties,  is  only  locking  them  up  success- 
ively, in  order  to  keep  them  more  secure.  Old  age,  rather 
than  death,  answers  strictly  to  the  analogies  of  sleep.  It 
is  the  gradual  folding  in  and  closing  up  of  all  the  volun- 
tary powers  after  they  have  become  worn  and  tired,  that 
they  may  wake  again  refreshed  and  renovated  for  the 
higher  work  that  awaits  them.  The  psychological  evi- 
dence is  pretty  full  and  decisive,  that  old  age  is  sleep,  but 
not  decay.  The  reason  lives,  though  its  eye  is  tempo- 
rarily closed ;  and  some  future  day  it  will  give  a  more 
perfect  and  pliant  form  to  the  affections.    Memory  remains, 


182  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

though  its  functions  are  suspended  for  awhile.  All  its 
chambers  may  be  exhumed  hereafter,  and  their  frescoes, 
like  those  of  the  buried  temples  Meroe,  will  be  found  pre- 
served in  unfading  colors.  The  wJiole  record  of  our  life  is 
laid  up  within  us ;  and  only  tlie  overlajings  of  the  phys- 
ical man  prevent  the  record  from  being  always  visible.  The 
years  leave  their  debris  successively  upon  the  spiritual 
nature,  till  it  seems  buried  and  lost  beneath  the  layers. 
On  the  old  man's  memory  every  period  seems  to  have 
obliterated  a  former  one  ;  but  the  life  which  he  has  lived 
can  no  more  be  lost  to  him  or  destroyed,  than  the  rock- 
strata  can  be  destroyed  by  being  buried  under  layers  of 
sand.  In  those  hours  when  the  bondage  of  the  senses  is 
less  firm,  and  the  life  within  has  freer  motion ;  or,  in  those 
hours  of  self-revelation,  which  are  sometimes  experienced 
under  a  clearer  and  more  pervading  light  from  above, 
the  past  withdraws  its  veil,  and  we  see  rank  beyond  rank, 
as  along  the  rows  of  an  expanding  amphitheatre,  the  im- 
ages of  successive  years,  called  out  as  by  some  wand  of 
enchantment.  There  are  abundant  facts  which  go  to  prove 
that  the  decline  and  forgetfulness  of  years  are  nothing 
more  than  the  hardening  of  the  mere  envelopment  of  the 
man,  shutting  in  the  inmost  life,  which  merely  waits  the 
hour  to  break  away  from  its  bondage. 

De  Quincey  says  :  "I  am  assured  that  there  is  no  such 
thing  2^^  forgetting  possible  to  the  mind.  A  thousand  cir- 
cumstances may  and  will  interpose  a  veil  between  our  pres- 
ent consciousness  and  the  secret  inscriptions  of  the  mind ; 
but    alike,    whether   veiled    or    unveiled,    the  inscription 


EVERLASTING    YOUTH.  183 

remains  forever ;  just  as  the  stars  seem  to  withdraw  from 
the  common  light  of  the  day ;  whereas,  we  all  know  that 
it  is  the  light  which  is  drawn  over  them,  as  a  veil,  and  that 
they  are  waiting  to  be  revealed,  when  the  obscuring 
daylight  shall  have  withdrawn." 

The  resurrection  is  the  inverse  of  natural  decay ;  and 
the  former  is  preparing  ere  the  latter  has  ended.  The 
affections  being  the  inmost  life,  are  the  nucleus  of  the 
whole  man.  They  are  the  creative  and  organific  center, 
whence  are  formed  the  reason  and  the  memory,  and  thence 
their  embodiment  in  the  more  outward  form  of  members 
and  organs.  The  whole  interior  mechanism  is  complete 
in  the  chrysalis,  ere  the  wings,  spotted  with  light,  are  flut- 
tering in  the  zephyrs  of  morning.  St.  Paul,  who,  in  this 
connection,  is  speaking  specially  of  the  resurrection  of  the 
just,  presents  three  distinct  points  of  contrast  between  the 
natural  body  and  the  spiritual.  One  is  weak,  the  other  is 
strong.  One  is  corruptible,  the  other  is  incorruptible. 
One  is  without  honor,  the  other  is  glorious.  By  saying 
that  one  is  natural  and  the  other  spiritual,  he  certainly 
implies  that  one  is  better  adapted  than  the  other  to  do  the 
functions  of  the  spirit,  and  more  perfectly  to  organize  and 
manifest  its  powers.  How  clearly  conceivable  then  is  it 
that  when  man  becomes  free  of  the  coverings  of  mere 
natural  decay,  he  comes  into  complete  possession  of  all 
that  he  is,  and  all  that  he  has  ever  lived ;  that  leaf  after 
leaf  in  our  whole  book  of  life  is  opened  backward,  and  all 
its  words  and  letters  come  out  in  more  vivid  colors ! 

In  the  other  life,  therefore,  appears  the  wonderful  para- 


184  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

dox,  that  the  oldest  people  are  the  youngest.  To  grow  in 
age,  is  to  come  into  everlasting  youth.  To  become  old  in 
years,  is  to  put  on  the  freshness  of  perpetual  prime.  We 
drop  from  us  the  debris  of  the  past,  we  breathe  the  ether 
of  immortality,  and  our  cheeks  mantle  with  eternal  bloom. 


BEAUTIFUL  EXTKACT. 

Wlien  the  summer  of  our  youth  is  slowly  wasting  into  the 
night-fall  of  age,  and  the  shadow  of  the  past  grows  deeper, 
as  if  life  were  near  its  close,  it  is  pleasant  to  look  back 
through  the  vista  of  time  upon  the  sorrows  and  felicities 
of  the  years.  If  we  have  a  home  to  shelter  us,  and  friends 
have  been  gathered  by  our  firesides,  then  the  rough  places 
of  wayfaring  will  have  been  worn  and  smoothed  away  in 
the  twilight  of  life,  while  the  sunny  spots  we  have  passed 
through  will  grow  brighter  and  more  beautiful.  Happy, 
indeed,  are  those  whose  intercourse  with  the  world  has  not 
changed  the  tone  of  their  holier  feelings,  or  broken  the 
musical  chords  of  the  heart,  whose  vibrations  are  so 
melodious,  so  touching  to  the  evening  of  age. 


"Happy  is  the  man  that  findeth  wisdom,  and  the  man 
that  getteth  understanding. 

"Length  of  days  is  in  her  right  hand;  and  in  her  left 
hand  riches  and  honour,"  —Proverbs,  3:  13,  16. 


EFFECTS  OF  RELIGION  IN  OLD  AGE  AND 
ADVERSITY. 

William  Wilbekforce. 


HEN  the  pulse  beats  high,  and  we  are  flushed 
with  youth,  and  health,  and  vigor ;  when 
all  goes  on  prosperously,  and  success  seems 
almost  to  anticipate  our  wishes,  then  we  feel 
not  the  want  of  the  consolations  of  religion ;  but  when 
fortune  frowns,  or  friends  forsake  us — when  sorrow,  or 
sickness,  or  old  age  comes  upon  us — -then  it  is  that  the 
superiority  of  the  pleasures  of  religion  is  established  over 
those  of  dissipation  and  vanity,  which  are  ever  apt  to  fly 
from  us  when  we  are  most  in  want  of  their  aid.  There  is 
scarcely  a  more  melancholy  sight  to  a  considerate  mind, 
than  that  of  an  old  man  who  is  a  stranger  to  those  only 
true  sources  of  satisfaction.  How  afiecting,  and  at  the 
same  time  how  disgusting  is  it,  to  see  such  a  one  awkwa^dly 
catching  at  the  pleasures  of  his  younger  years,  which  are 
now  beyond  his  reach ;  or  feebly  attempting  to  retain 
them,  while  they  mock  his  endeavors  or  elude  his  grasp  ! 
To  such  a  one,  gloomily  indeed  does  the  evening  of  life 
set  in  !  All  is  sour  and  cheerless.  He  can  neither  look 
backward  with  complacency,  nor  forward  with  hope;  while 
the  aged  Christian,  relying  on  the  assured  mercy  of  his 
Redeemer,   can    calmly   reflect  that   his   dismission   is  at 


186  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

hand ;  that  his  redemption  draweth  nigh.  While  his 
strength  declines  and  his  faculties  decay,  he  can  quietly 
repose  himself  on  the  fidelity  of  God  \  and  at  the  very 
entrance  of  the  valley  of  the  shadow  of  death,  he  can  lift 
up  an  ej'e,  dim  perhaps  and  feeble,  yet  occasionally  spark- 
ling  with  hope,  and  confidently  looking  forward  to  the 
near  possession  of  his  heavenly  inheritance,  to  those  joys 
whicli  "eye  hath  not  seen,  nor  ear  lieai-d,  neither  hath  it 
entered  into  the  heart  of  man  to  conceive."  What  strik- 
ing lessons  have  we  had  on  the  precarious  tenure  of  all 
sublunary  possessions !  Wealth,  and  power,  and  pros- 
perity, how  peculiarly  transitory  ami  uncertain!  But 
religion  dispenses  her  choicest  cordiai;i  in  the  seasons  of 
exigence,  in  poverty,  in  exile,  in  sickness,  and  in  death. 
The  essential  superiority  of  that  support  which  is  derived 
from  religion  is  less  felt,  at  least  it  is  I3ss  apparent,  when 
the  Christian  is  in  full  possession  of  riches  and  splendor 
and  rank,  and  all  the  gifts  of  nature  and  foi'tune.  But 
when  all  these  are  swept  away  by  the  rude  hand  of  time  or 
the  rough  blasts  of  adversity,  the  true  Christian  stands 
like'  the  glory  of  the  forest,  erect  and  vigorous ;  stripped 
indeed  of  his  summer  foliage,  but  more  than  ever  dis- 
covering to  the  observing  eye  the  soiid  strength  of  his 
substantial  texture. 


Gems. — The  memory  should  be  a  cabinet,  full  of  Christ; 
the  conscience  a  witness  for  Christ ;  the  will  a  servant  of 
Christ ;  the  affections  the  throve  r--  ^-r-r-'st ;  and  the  whole 
character  a  mirror  of  Christ. 


THE  CONSOLATIONS  OF  AGE. 

TRAJfSLATED    FROM    THE    GERMAN    OF    ZSCHOKKES' 
AUTOBIOGRAPHY. 


ROM  all  I  have  narrated  concerning  my  good 
and  evil  days,  some  may  infer  that  I  have 
been  on  the  M^liole  a  favorite  of  fortune ; 
that  I  may  very  well  be  philosophic  and 
maintain  a  rosy  good  humor,  since,  with  the  exception  of 
a  few  self-torments  of  the  fancy,  I  have  seldom  or  never 
experienced  a  misfortune.  But,  indeed,  I  have  met  with 
what  men  style  great  misfortunes,  or  evils,  though  I  never 
so  named  them.  Like  every  mortal,  I  have  had  my 
share  of  what  men  call  human  misery.  The  weight  of  a 
sudden  load  has  sometimes  for  a  moment  staggered  me 
and  pressed  me  down,  as  is  the  case  with  others.  But 
with  renewed  buoyancy  of  spirit  I  have  soon  risen  again, 
and  borne  the  burden  allotted  to  me,  without  discontent. 
Nay,  more  than  this,  though  some  may  shake  their  heads 
incredulously,  it  is  a  fact,  that  worldly  suffering  has  not 
been  disagreeable  to  me.  It  has  weaned  me  from  placing 
my  trust  in  transitory  things.  It  has  shown  me  the  degree 
of  strength  and  self-reliance  I  should  I'etain,  even  at  that 
period  of  life  when  the  passions  reign.  I  am  fully  con- 
vinced that  there  is  no  evil  in  this  world  but  sin.    Nothing 

187 


188  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  Bi:YOND. 

but  consciousness  of  guilt  spins  a  dark  thread,  which 
reaches  througJi  the  web  of  all  our  days,  even  unto  the 
grave.  God  is  not  the  author  of  calamity,  but  only  man, 
by  his  weakness,  his  over-estimate  of  pompous  vanities, 
and  the  selfish  nurture  of  his  appetites.  He  weeps  like  a 
child  because  he  cannot  have  his  own  way,  and  even  at 
seventy  years  of  age  is  not  yet  a  man.  He  bewails  him- 
self because  God  does  not  mind  him.  Yet  every  outward 
misfortune  is  in  truth  as  worthy  a  gift  of  God  as  outward 
success. 

In  common  with  others,  I  have  met  with  ingratitude  from 
many ;  but  it  did  not  disquiet  me ;  because  what  I  had 
done  for  them  was  not  done  for  thanks.  Friends  have 
deceived  me,  but  it  did  not  make  me  angry  with  them ;  for 
I  saw  that  I  had  only  deceived  myself  with  regard  to 
them.  I  have  endured  misajjprehension  and  persecution 
with  composure,  being  aware  of  the  unavoidable  diversity 
of  opinions  and  of  the  passions  thereby  excited.  I  have 
borne  the  crosses  of  poverty  without  a  murmur ;  for  expe- 
rience had  taught  me  that  outward  poverty  often  brings 
inward  wealth.  I  have  lost  a  moderate  property,  which  I 
had  acquired  by  toil,  but  such  losses  did  not  embitter  me 
for  a  single  day ;  they  only  taught  me  to  work  and  spare. 
I  have  been  the  happy  father  of  happy  children.  Twelve 
sons  and  one  daughter  I  have  counted  ;  and  I  have  had 
to  sit  with  a  bleeding  heart  at  the  death-bed  of  four  of 
those  sons.  As  they  drew  their  last  breath,  I  felt  that 
divine  sorrow  which  transforms  the  inner  man.  My  spirit 
rested  on  the  Father  of  the  universe,  and  it  was  well  with 


THE  CONSOLATIONS  OF  AGE.  189 

me.  My  dead  ones  were  not  parted  from  me.  Tlu)se  who 
reiaained  behind  drew  more  closely  to  one  another,  while 
eagerly  looking  toward  those  who  had  gone  before  them 
to  the  mansions  of  the  Great  Father.  It  was  onr  custom 
""^.o  think  of  the  deceased  as  still  living  in  the  midst  of  us. 
W^e  were  wont  to  talk  about  their  little  adv-entures,  their 
amusing  sallies,  and  the  noble  traits  of  their  characters. 
Everything  noteworthy  concerning  them.^  as  well  as  what 
related  to  the  livmg  members  of  the  family,  was  recorded 
by  the  children  in  a  chronicle  they  kept  in  the  form  of  a 
newspaper,  and  was  thus  preserved  from  oblivion.  Death 
is  something  festal,  great,  like  all  the  manifestations  of 
God  here  below.  The  death  of  my  childi-en  hallowed  me  ; 
it  lifted  me  more  and  more  out  of  the  shows  of  earth  into 
the  divine.  It  purified  my  thoughts  and  feelings.  I  wept 
as  a  child  of  the  dust  raust  do  ;  but  in  spirit  I  was  calm  and 
cheerful,  because  I  knew  to  whom  I  and  mine  belonged. 

At  the  beginning  of  old  age,  I  could  indeed  call  myself 
a  happy  man.  On  my  seventieth  birthday  I  felt  as  if  I 
were  standing  on  a  mountain  height,  at  whose  foot  the  ocean 
of  eternity  was  audibly  rushing  ;  while  before  me,  life  with 
its  deserts  and  flower-gardens,  its  sunny  days  and  its 
stormy  days,  spread  out  green,  wild,  and  beautiful.  For- 
merly, when  I  read  or  heard  of  the  joylessness  of  age,  I 
was  filled  with  sadness ;  but  I  now  wondered  that  it  pre- 
sented so  much  that  was  agreeable.  The  more  the  world 
diminished  and  grew  dark,  the  less  I  felt  the  loss  of  it ; 
for  the  dawn  of  the  next  world  grew  ever  clearer  and 
clearer. 


190  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

Thus  rejoicing  in  God,  and  with  him,  I  advance  into  the 
winter  of  life,  beyond  which  no  spring  awaits  me  on  this 
planet.  The  twilight  of  my  existence  on  earth  is  shining 
around  me ;  but  the  world  floats  therein  in  a  rosy  light, 
more  beautiful  than  the  dawn  of  life.  Others  may  lool^ 
back  with  homesickness  to  the  lost  paradise  of  childhood. 
That  paradise  was  never  mine.  I  wandered  "about,  an 
orphan,  unloved  and  forsaken  of  all  but  God.  I  thank 
him  for  this  allotment ;  for  it  taught  me  to  build  my  para- 
dise within. 

The  solemn  evening  is  at  hand,  and  it  is  welcome.  I 
repent  not  that  I  have  lived.  Others,  in  their  autumn,  can 
survey  and  count  up  their  collected  harvests.  This  I  can- 
not. I  have  scattered  seed,  but  whither  the  wind  has 
carried  it  I  know  not.  The  good-will  alone  was  mine. 
God's  hand  decided  concerning  the  success  of  my  labor. 
Many  an  unproductive  seed  I  have  sown  ;  but  I  do  not, 
on  that  account  complain  either  of  myself  or  of  Heaven. 
Fortune  has  lavished  on  me  no  golden  treasures ;  but  con- 
tented with  what  my  industry  has  acquired,  and  my 
economy  has  preserved,  I  enjoy  that  noble  independence 
at  which  I  have  always  aimed ;  and  out  of  the  little  I 
possess,  I  have  been  sometimes  able  to  afford  assistanlce  to 
others  who  were  less  fortunate. 


Happy  is  he  who  grows  old  with  Christ  as  his  portion, 
for  he  is  ever  renewing  his  youth.  He  lives  like  Moses, 
upon  the  mount,  in  full  view  of  the  promised  land. 


OLD  AGE. 


"No  snow  falls  lighter  than  the  snow  of  age;  but  none  is  heavier; 
for  it  never  melts.'' 


J  HE  figure  is  by  no  means  novel,  but  the 
closing  part  of  tlie  sentence  is  new  as  well 
as  emphatic.  The  Scriptures  represent  age 
by  the  almond-tree,  which  bears  blossoms 
of  the  purest  white.  "The  almond-tree  shall  flourish," 
the  head  shall  be  hoary.  Dickens  says  of  one  of  his 
characters,  whose  hair  was  turning  gray,  "  that  it  looked 
as  if  Time  had  lightly  splashed  his  snows  upon  it  in 
passing." 

"It  nev^er  melts" — no,  never;  age  is  inexorable.  Its 
wheels  must  move  onward  ;  they  know  no  retrograde 
movement.  The  old  man  may  sit  and  sing  "  I  would  I 
were  a  boy  again,"  but  he  grows  older  as  he  sings.  He 
may  read  of  the  elixir  of  youth,  but  he  cannot  find  it ;  he 
may  sigh  for  the  secrets  of  that  alchemy  which  is  able  to 
make  him  young  again,  but  sighing  brings  it  not.  He 
may  gaze  backward  with  an  eye  of  longing  upon  the  rosy 
scenes  of  early  years,  as  one  who  gazes  on  his  home  from 
the  deck  of  a  departing  ship,  which  every  moment  carries 
him  farther  and  farther  away.  Poor  old  man !  he  has 
little  more  to  do  but  to  die. 

"  It  never  melts."    The  snow  of  winter  comes  and  sheds 


192  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

its  white  blessings  upon  the  valley  and  the  mountains,  but 
soon,  warm  genial  spring  comes  and  smiles  it  all  away. 
Not  so  with  that  brow  of  the  tottering  veteran.  There  is 
no  spring  whose  warmth  can  penetrate  its  eternal  frosts. 
It  came  to  stay.  Its  single  flakes  fell  unnoticed,  and  now 
it  is  drilled  there.  We  shall  see  it  increase  until  we  lay 
the  old  man  in  his  grave.  There  it  shall  be  absorbed  by 
the  eternal  darkness — for  there  is  no  age  in  heaven. 

The  young,  who  all  wish  to  live,  but  who  at  the  same 
time  have  a  dread  of  growing  old,  may  not  be  disposed  to 
allow  the  justice  of  the  representation  we  are  now  to  make. 
They  regard  old  age  as  a  dreary  season,  that  admits  of 
nothing  which  can  be  called  pleasure,  and  very  little  which 
deserves  the  name  even  of  comfort.  They  look  forward  to 
it,  as  in  autumn  we  anticipate  the  approach  of  winter ;  but 
winter,  though  it  terrifies  us  at  a  distance,  has  nothing  very 
formidable  when  it  aiTives.  Its  enjoyments  are  of  a  dif- 
ferent kind,  but  we  find  it  not  less  pleasant  than  other 
seasons  of  the  year.  In  like  manner,  old  age,  frightful  as 
it  may  be  to  the  young,  who  view  it  afar  off,  has  no  terror 
to  those  who  see  it  near;  but  experience  proves  that  it 
abounds  with  consolations,  and  even  with  delights.  We 
should  look  therefore  with  pleasure  on  many  old  men, 
whose  illuminated  faces  and  hoary  heads  resemble  one  of 
those  pleasant  days  in  winter,  so  common  in  this  climate, 
when  a  bright  sun  darts  its  beams  on  a  pure  field  of  snow. 
The  beauty  of  spring,  the  splendor  of  summer,  and  the 
glory  of  autumn  are  gone,  but  the  prospect  is  still  Lively 
and  cheerful. 


OLD  AGE.  193 

Among  other  circumstances  wliicli  contribute  to  the  sat- 
isfaction of  this  period  of  life,  is  the  respect  with  which 
old  age  is  treated.  There  are,  it  must  be  acknowledged 
and  lamented,  some  foolish  and  ill-educated  young  ])ersons 
who  do  not  pay  that  veneration  which  is  due  to  the  hoary 
head ;  but  these  examples  are  not  numerous. 

The  world  in  general  bows  down  to  age,  gives  it  prece- 
dence, and  listens  with  deference  to  its  counsels.  Old  age 
wants  accommodations,  and  it  must  in  justice  to  mankind 
be  allowed  that  they  are  aiforded  with  cheerfulness.  Who 
can  deny  that  such  reverence  is  soothing  to  the  mind  ?  and 
that  it  compensates  for  the  loss  of  many  pleasures  peculiar 
to  youth  ? 

The  respect  of  the  w^orld  in  general  is  gratifying ;  but 
the  respect  of  one's  own  offspring  nmst  yield  heartfelt 
delight.  Can  there  be  a  more  pleasing  sight  than  a  ven- 
erable old  man  surrounded  by  his  children  and  grandchil- 
dren, all  of  whom  are  emulous  of  each  other  in  testifying 
their  honor  and  affection?  His  children,  proud  of  their 
honored  father,  strive  who  shall  treat  him  with  the  most 
attention,  while  grandchildren  hang  on  his  neck,  entertain 
him  with  their  innocent  prattle,  and  convince  him  that  they 
love  grandfather  not  less  than  they  love  their  own  father. 
"Whoever  takes  a  little  child  into  his  love,  nuiy  have  a  very 
roomy  heart,  but  that  child  will  entirely  fill  it.  The  chil- 
dren that  are  in  the  world  keep  us  from  growing  old  and 
cold ;  they  cling  to  our  garments  with  their  little  hands, 
and  impede  our  progress  to  petrifaction  ;  they  win  us  back 
with    their    pleading   eyes   from   cruel  care;    they   never 


194  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BFYOND. 

encumber  us  at  all.  A  poor  old  couple,  with  no  one  to 
love  them,  is  a  most  pitiful  picture ;  but  a  house  with  a 
small  face  to  fill  a  broken  pane,  here  and  there,  is  robbed 
of  its  desolateness.  A  little  thoughtful  attention,  how 
happy  it  makes  the  old?  They  have  outlived  most  of  the 
friends  of  their  early  years.  How  lonely  their  homes  ! 
Often  their  partners  in  life  have  filled  silent  graves  ;  often 
their  children  they  have  followed  to  the  tomb.  They  stand 
solitary,  bending  on  their  staff,  waiting  till  the  same  call 
comes  to  them.  How  often  they  must  think  of  absent, 
lamented  faces,  of  the  love  which  cherished  them,  and  the 
tears  of  sympathy  which  mingled  with  theirs — now  all 
gone.  Why  should  not  the  young  cling  around  and  com- 
fort them,  cheering  their  gloom  with  happy  smiles  1 

That  old  man  !  what  disappointments  he  has  encoun- 
tered in  his  long  journey,  what  bright  hopes  have  been 
blasted,  what  sorrows  felt,  what  agonies  endured,  how 
many  loved  ones  he  has  covered  up  in  their  graves.  And 
that  old  woman,  too !  husband  dead,  children  all  buried  or 
far  away,  life's  flowers  faded,  the  friends  of  her  youth 
no  more,  and  she  only  waiting  for  her  summons.  Ought 
we  ever  to  miss  an  opportunity  of  showing  attention  to  the 
aged,  of  proflfering  a  kindness  or  lighting  up  a  smile,  by  a 
courteous  or  a  kind  friendly  word. 

\Yhy  speak  of  age  in  a  mournful  strain  ?  it  is  beautiful, 
honorable,  eloquent.  Should  we  sigh  at  the  nearness  of 
death,  when  life  and  the  world  are  so  full  of  emptiness  ! 
Let  the  old  exult  because  they  are  old.  If  any  weep,  let 
it  be  the  young,  at  the  long  succession  of  cares  that  are 


OLD  AGE.  195 

before  them.  It  is  but  a  temporal  crown,  which  shall  fall 
at  the  gates  of  Paradise,  to  be  replaced  by  a  brighter  and 
better  one.  —The  Royal  Path  of  Life. 


OLD  AGE. 


And  why  should  we  mourn  because  we  must  grow  old  ? 
With  every  silvery  thread  in  tlie  bright  locks  we  nuiy 
gather  a  new  virtue,  that  shall  make  the  setting  of  our  sun 
brighter  than  its  noon-day  glory !  The  soul  has  an  eternal 
youth,  and  if  it  is  rightly  cultivated,  it  will  shine  through 
the  furrows  of  age,  undermined  by  the  numy  infirmities 
of  mortal  life.  AVe  love  the  aged.  From  our  earliest 
childhood  our  heart  has  warmed  and  leaped  toward  them. 
"We  had  rather  talk  with  a  good  old  man  or  woman — their 
hoary  hairs  a  crown  of  glory — than  with  the  gayest  of 
earth's  gay  children. 

How  much  experience  the  aged  liave  gaihered  !  Every 
word  that  falls  from  their  lips  is  a  pearl  to  be  treasured  for- 
ever. Earth  is  growing  darker  to  them,  and  the  beautiful 
visions  of  an  eternal  world  fall  upon  their  almost  beatified 
spii'its,  making  their  possessor  seem,  at  times,  more  tlian 
mortal.  Then,  why  should  we  dread  to  lose  our  youth, 
when  age  brings  so  much  to  love  ?  But  let  us  ratlier  strive 
to  train  these  immortal  guests  that  tarry  within  our  earthly 
temples  so  carefully,  tluit  they  shall  impart  beauty  to  the 
faded  lineaments  and  wrinkled  brows,  when  we,  too,  grow 
old.  — Emily  F.  Cross. 


GRANDFATHER'S  REVERIE. 

Theodore  Paeker.  * 


RANDFATHER  is  old.  His  back  is  bent. 
In  the  street  he  sees  the  crowds  of  men 
looking  dreadfully  young,  and  walking  fright- 
fully swift.  He  wonders  where  all  the  old 
folks  are.  Once,  when  a  boy,  he  could  not  find  young 
people  enough  for  him,  and  he  sidled  up  to  any  young 
stranger  he  met  on  Sunday,  wondering  why  God  made  the 
world  so  old.  Now  he  goes  to  Commencement  to  see  his 
grandson  take  his  degree,  and  is  astonished  at  tlie  youth  of 
the  audience.  "  This  is  new,"  he  says,  "  it  did  not  use  to 
be  so  fifty  years  ago."  At  meeting,  the  minister  seems 
surprisingly  young,  and  the  audience  young.  He  looks 
around,  and  is  astonished  that  there  are  so  few  venerable 
heads.  The  audiejice  seem  not  decorous.  They  come  in 
late,  and  hurry  awa}'  early,  clapping  the  door  after  them 
with  irreverent  bang.  But  grandfather  is  decorous,  well 
mannered,  early  in  his  seat;  if  jostled,  he  jostles  not  again  ; 
elbowed,  he  returns  it  not ;  crowded,  he  thinks  no  evil. 
He  is  gentlemanly  to  the  rude,  obliging  to  the  insolent  and 
vulgar;  for  grandfather  is  a  gentleman;  not  pufl:ed  up 
with  mere  money,  but  edified  with  well-grown  manliness. 
Time  has  dignified  his  good  manners. 


*  From  his  sermon  on  "  Old  Aa-e." 


GRANDFATHERS  REVERIE.  197 

It  is  niglit.  The  family  are  all  abed.  Grandfather  sits 
by  his  old-fashioned  fire.  He  draws  his  old-fashioned  chair 
nearer  to  the  hearth.  On  the  stand  which  his  mother  gave 
him  are  the  candlesticks,  also  of  old  time.  Tlie  candles 
are  three-quarters  burnt  down ;  the  fire  on  the  hearth  is 
low.  lie  has  been  thoughtful  all  day,  talking  to  himself, 
chanting  a  bit  of  a  verse,  humming  a  snatch  of  an  old  tune. 
He  kissed  his  pet  granddaughter  more  tenderly  than  com- 
mon, before  she  went  to  bed.  He  takes  out  of  his  bosom  a 
little  locket;  nobody  ever  sees  it.  Therein  are  two  little 
twists  of  hair.  As  grandfather  looks  at  them,  the  outer 
twist  of  hair  becomes  a  whole  head  of  ambrosial  curls. 
He  remembers  stolen  interviews,  meetings  by  moonlight. 
He  remembers  how  sweet  the  evening  star  looked,  and 
how  he  laid  his  hand  on  another's  shoulder,  and  said  "You 
are  my  evening  star." 

The  church-clock  strikes  the  midnight  hour.  He  looks 
at  the  locket  again.  The  other  twist  is  the  hair  of  his 
first-born  son.  At  this  same  hour  of  midnight,  once,  many 
years  ago,  he  knelt  and  prayed,  when  the  agony  was  over 
— "  My  God,  I  thank  thee,  that,  though  I  am  a  father,  I 
am  still  a  husband.  What  am  I,  that  unto  me  a  life  should 
be  given,  and  another  life  spared?" 

Now  he  has  children,  and  children's  children  the  joy  of 
his  old  age.  But  for  many  years  his  wife  has  looked  to 
him  from  beyond  the  evening  star.  She  is  still  the  even- 
ing star  herself;  yet  more  beautiful;  a  star  that  never  sets; 
not  mortal  wife  now,  but  angel. 

The  last  stick  on  his  andirons  snaps  asunder,  and  falls 


198  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

outward.  Two  faintly  smoking  brands  stand  there.  Grand- 
father lays  them  together,  and  they  flame  up;  the  two 
smokes  are  united  in  one  flame.  "  Even  so  let  it  be  in 
heaven,"  says  grandfather. 


LONGEVITY  AND  A  SWEET  TEMPER. 

A  sweet  temper  is  promotive  of  a  long  life.  An  English 
journal,  Capital  and  Labor ^  asserts  "  that  while  excessive 
labor,  exposure  to  wet  and  cold,  deprivation  of  sufficient 
and  wholesome  food,  bad  lodging,  sloth  and  intemperance, 
are  all  deadly  enemies  of  human  life,  none  of  them  are  so 
destructive  in  their  eff'ects  as  violent  and  ungoverned  pas- 
sions. Men  and  women  have  survived  all  the  former," 
says  this  writer,  "and  at  last  reached  an  extreme  old  age; 
but  it  may  be  safely  doubted  whether  a  single  instance  can 
be  found  of  a  man  of  violent  and  irrascible  temper,  habit- 
ually subject  to  storms  of  ungovernable  passions,  who  has 
arrived  at  a  very  advanced  period  of  life." 


PIETY  AND  LONG  LIFE. 

"  The  fear  of  the  Lord  is  the  beginning  of  wisdom  :  and 
the  knowledge  of  the  Holy  is  understanding. 

"For  by  me  thy  days  shall  be  multiplied,  and  the  years 
of  thy  life  shall  be  increased."  —Proverbs,  9:  lo,  11. 


A  GOOD  OLD  AGE.  * 


i^^Ji^<^- 


GOOD  old  age  is  a  beautiful  sight,  and  there 
is  nothing  earthly  that  is  as  noble — in  my 
eyes,  at  least.  And  so  I  have  often  thought. 
A  ship  is  a  fine  object,  when  it  conies  up 
into  port,  with  all  its  sails  set,  and  quite  safely,  from  a  long 
voyage.  Many  a  thousand  miles  it  has  come,  with  the  sun 
for  its  guidance,  and  the  sea  for  its  path,  and  the  winds  for 
its  speed.  What  might  have  been  its  grave,  a  thousand 
fathoms  deep,  has  yielded  it  a  ready  way ;  and  winds  that 
might  have  been  its  wreck  have  been  its  service.  It  has 
come  from  another  meridian  than  ours ;  it  has  come 
through  day  and  night  ;  it  has  come  by  reefs  and  banks 
that  have  been  avoided,  and  passed  rocks  that  have  been 
watched  for.  Not  a  plank  has  started,  nor  one  timber  in 
it  proved  rotten.  And  now  it  comes  like  an  answer  to  the 
prayers  of  many  hearts ;  a  delight  to  the  owner,  a  joy  to 
many  a  sailor's  family,  and  a  pleasure  to  all  ashore  that  see 
it.  It  has  steered  over  the  ocean,  and  been  piloted  through 
dangers,  and  now  it  is  safe.  But  still  more  interesting  is  a 
good  life,  as  it  approaches  its  three-score  years  and  ten.  It 
began  in  the  century  before,  or  at  the  dawn  of  the  present ; 
it  has  lasted  on  through  storm  and  sunshine ;  and  it  has 
been  guarded  against  many  a  rock  on  which  shipwreck  of  a 

*  From  Montford's  Euthanasy. 

1?9 


200  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 


good  conscience  might  have  been  made.  On  the  course  it 
has  taken,  there  has  been  the  influence  of  Providence ;  and 
it  has  been  guided  b}'  Christ,  that  day-star  from  on  higli. 
Yes,  old  age  is  a  nobler  sight  than  a  ship  completing  a 
long,  long  voyage. 

On  a  summer's  evening,  the  setting  sun  is  grand  to  look 
at.  In  his  morning  beams,  the  birds  awoke  and  sang, 
men  rose  for  their  work,  and  the  world  grew  light.  In  his 
midday  heat,  wheat  fields  grew  yellower,  and  fruits 
ripened,  and  a  thousand  natural  purposes  were  answered, 
which  we  mortals  do  not  know  of.  And  at  his  setting,  all 
things  seem  to  grow  harmonious  and  solemn  in  his  light. 

But  what  is  all  this  to  the  sight  of  a  good  life  in  those 
years  that  go  down  into  the  grave !  In  the  early  days  of 
it,  old  events  had  their  happening ;  with  the  light  of  it, 
many  a  house  has  been  brightened  ;  and  under  the  good 
influence  of  it,  souls  have  grown  better,  some  of  whom  are 
now  on  high.  And  then  the  closing  period  of  such  a  life, 
— how  almost  awful  is  the  beauty  of  it !  From  his  setting, 
the  sun  will  rise  again  to-morrow  ;  and  he  will  shine  on 
men  and  their  work,  and  on  children's  children,  and  their 
labors.  But  when  once  finished,  even  a  good  life  has  no 
renewal  in  this  world.  It  will  begin  again  ;  but  it  will  be 
in  a  new  earth,  and  under  new  heavens.  Yes,  nobler  than 
a  ship  ending  a  long  voyage,  and  sublimer  than  the  setting 
sun,  is  the  old  age  of  a  just,  a  kind,  and  a  useful  life. 


"  Mark  the  perfect  maw,  and  behold  the  upright ;  for  the 
end  oi  that  man  is  peace."  —Psalms,  37;  37. 


A  BEAUTIFUL  THOUGHT.* 


LESSING  and  blessed,  this  excellent  man 
passed  on  to  old  age ;  and  how  beautiful  that 
old  age  was,  none,  who  had  the  privilege  of 
knowing  it,  can  ever  forget.  It  was  the  old 
age  of  the  Christian  scholar  and  the  beloved  man.  His 
evening  of  life  could  not  but  be  bright  and  serene,  full  of 
hope,  and  free  from  sadness.  He  had  a  kindly  freshness  of 
spirit,  which  made  the  society  of  the  young  pleasant  to 
him  ;  and  they,  on  their  part,  were  always  happy  to  be 
with  him,  enjoying  the  good-natured  wisdom  and  the 
modest  richness  of  his  conversation.  His  faculties  re- 
mained clear,  active,  and  healthy  to  the  last.  Advancing 
years  never  for  a  moment  closed  the  capacity,  or  abated 
the  willingness,  to  receive  new  ideas.  Though  a  lover  of 
the  past  and  the  established,  his  opinions  never  hardened 
into  prejudices.  His  intellectual  vigor  was  not  seen  to 
molder  under  the  quiet  which  an  old  man  claims  as  his 
right.  Of  him  might  be  said  what  Solon  said  of  himself 
in  advanced  years,  that  "he  learned  something  new  every 
day  he  lived  ;"  and  to  no  one  could  be  better  applied  the 
remark  of  Cicero  concerning  the  venerable  Appius  :   "He 

*  From  the  Rev.  Dr.  Francis'  "  Memoirs  of  the  Hon.  John  Davis." 


202  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

kept  his  mind  bent  like  a  bow,  nor  was  it  ever  relaxed  by 
old  age." 

But  it  was  peculiarly  his  fine  moral  qualities — his  benevo- 
lence, his  artlessness,  his  genial  kindness — which  shed  a 
mellow  and  beautiful  light  on  his  old  age.  No  thought 
of  self  ever  mingled  its  alloy  with  the  virtues  which 
adorned  Judge  Davis'  character.  His  reliance  on  the 
truths  and  promises  of  Christian  faith  seemed  more  con- 
fident and  vital  as  he  drew  nearer  to  the  great  realities  of 
the  future.  For  him,  life  had  always  a  holy  meaning.  A 
Grecian  philosopher,  at  the  age  of  eighty-five,  is  said  to 
have  expressed  painful  discontent  at  the  shortness  of  life, 
and  complained  of  Nature's  hard  allotment,  which  snatches 
man  away  just  as  he  is  about  to  reach  some  perfection  of 
science.  Not  so  our  Christian  sage  ;  he  found  occasion,  not 
for  complaint,  but  rather  for  thankfulness;  because,  as  the 
end  approached,  he  saw  more  distinctly  revealed  the  better 
light  beyond. 

He  once  expressed,  in  a  manner  touchingly  beautiful, 
his  own  estimate  of  old  age.  On  the  occasion  of  a  dinner 
party,  at  which  Judge  Storey  and  others  eminent  in  the 
legal  profession  were  present,  the  conversation  turned  upon 
the  comparative  advantages  of  the  different  periods  of  life. 
Some  preferred,  for  enjoyment,  youth  and  manhood ; 
others  ascribed  more  solid  satisfaction  to  old  age.  "When 
the  opinion  of  Judge  Davis  was  asked,  he  said,  with  his 
usual  calm  simplicity  of  manner:  "  In  the  warm  season  of 
the  year,  it  is  my  delight  to  be  in  the  country  ;  and  every 
pleasant  evening  while  I  am  there,  I  love  to  sit  at  the  win- 


A  BEAUTIFUL  THOUGHT.  203 

dow  and  look  at  some  beautiful  trees  which  grow  near  my 
house.  The  murmuring  of  the  wind  through  the  branches, 
the  gentle  play  of  the  leaves,  and  the  flickering  of  the 
light  upon  them,  when  the  moon  is  up,  fill  me  with  an 
indescribable  pleasure.  As  the  autumn  comes  on,  I  fee) 
very  sad  to  see  those  leaves  falling  one  by  one;  but  when 
they  are  all  gone,  I  find  that  they  were  only  a  screen 
before  my  eyes;  for  I  experience  a  new  and  higher  satis- 
faction as  I  gaze  through  the  naked  branches  at  the  glorious 
stars  of  heaven  beyond." 


SWEET  OLD  AGE. 

The   following    beautiful  picture,   how   rarely    realized! 
and  yet  who  does  not  appreciate  its  beauty  ? 

God  sometimes  gives  to  a  man  a  guiltless  and  holy 
second  childhood,  in  which  the  soul  becomes  childlike,  not 
childish,  and  the  faculties  in  full  fruit  and  ripeness,  are 
mellow  without  sign  of  decay.  This  is  that  sought  for 
land  Beulah,  where  they  who  have  traveled  manfully  the 
Christian  way  abide  awhile  to  show  the  world  a  })erfect 
manhood.  Life  with  its  battles  and  its  sorrows  lies  far 
behind  them  ;  the  soul  has  thrown  off  its  armor,  and  sits 
in  an  evening  of  calm  and  holy  undress.  Thrice  blessed 
the  family  or  neighborhood  that  numbers  among  it  one  of 
those  not  ascended  saints. 


THE  BEAUTY  OF  OLD  PEOPLE. 


jEN  and  women  make  their  own  beauty,  or 
tlieir  own  ugliness.  Li^rd  Lytton  speaks  in 
one  of  his  novels,  of  a  man  "who  was 
uglier  than  he  had  any  business  to  be,"  and 
if  he  could  but  read  it,  every  human  being  carries  his  life 
in  his  face,  and  is  good-looking  or  the  reverse,  as  his  life 
has  been  good  or  evil.  On  our  features  the  fine  chisel  of 
thought  and  emotion  are  eternally  at  work.  Beauty  is  not 
the  monopoly  of  blooming  young  men,  and  of  the  white 
and  pink  maids.  There  is  a  slow-growing  beauty,  which 
only  comes  to  perfection  in  old  age.  Grace  belongs  to  no 
period  of  life,  and  goodness  improves  the  longer  it  exists. 
I  have  seen  sweeter  smiles  on  a  lip  of  seventy  than  upon  a 
lip  of  seventeen.  There  is  the  beauty  of  youth,  and  there 
is  the  beauty  of  holiness — a  beauty  much  more  seldom 
met ;  and  more  frequently  found  in  the  arm-chair  by  the 
fire,  with  the  grandchildren  around  its  knees,  than  in  the 
ball-room  or  promenade.  Husband  and  wife,  who  have 
fought  the  world  side  by  side,  who  have  made  common 
stock  of  joy  and  sorrow,  and  aged  together,  are  not  unfre- 
quently  found  curiously  alike  in  personal  appearance,  and 
in  pitch  and  tone  of  voice — just  as  twin  pebbles  on  the 


THE  BEA  UTY  OF  OLD  PEOPLE.         205 

beach,  exposed  to  the  same  tidal  influences,  are  each 
others  second  self.  He  has  gained  a  feminine  something 
which  brings  his  manhood  into  full  relief.  She  has  gained 
a  masculine  something,  which  acts  as  a  foil  to  her  woman- 
hood. 


SEASONS  OF  LI^E. 

At  a  festival  party  of  old  and  young,  the  question  was 
asked  :  Which  season  of  life  was  the  most  happ_y  i  After 
being  freely  discussed  by  the  guests,  it  was  referred  for 
answer  to  the  host,  upon  whom  was  the  burden  of  four- 
scor^e  years.  He  asked  if  they  had  noticed  a  grove  ot 
trees  before  the  dwelling,  and  said,  "When  the  spring 
conies,  and  in  the  soft  air  the  buds  are  breaking  on  the 
trees,  and  they  are  covered  witli  blossoms,  I  think  ^Iloio 
heautiful  is  spring  !''  and  when  summer  comes  and  covers 
the  trees  with  its  heavy  foliage,  and  singing  birds  are 
among  the  branches,  I  think,  ^Hoio  heautiful  is  summer  P 
When  autumn  loads  them  with  golden  fruit,  and  their 
k'aves  bear  the  gorgeous  tint  of  frost,  I  think,  '•JIoio  heau- 
tiful is  autumn!''  And  when  it  is  sear  winter,  and  tliei'e 
is  neither  foliage  nor  fruit,  then  I  look  up,  and  through  the 
leafless  branches,  as  I  could  never  until  now,  I  see  the 
stars  shine  through."  —Dr.  Adams. 


"  The  fear  of  the  Lord  prolongeth  days:  but  the  years 
of  the  wicked  shall  be  shoi-tened."  —  Pro  re  rbs,  10:  2. 


THE  AGED  LOVER. 


▼"^O  LONGEH  a  lover !  exclaimed  an  aged 
patriarch  ;  ah  !  you  mistake  me  if  you  think 
age  has  blotted  out  my  heart.  Though  sil- 
ver hair  falls  over  a  brow  all  wrinkled,  and  a 
cheek  all  furrowed,  yet  I  am  a  lover  still.  I  love  the  beauty 
of  the  maiden's  blush,  the  soft  tint  of  flowers,  the  singing 
of  birds,  and,  above  all,  the  silvery  laugh  of  a  child.  I  love 
the  star-like  meadows,  where  the  buttercups  grow,  with 
almost  the  same  enthusiasm  as  when,  with  ringlets  flying 
loose  in  the  wind,  years  ago,  I  chased  the  painted  butterfly. 
I  love  you  aged  dame.  Look  at  her.  Her  face  is  care- 
worn, but  it  has  ever  held  a  smile  for  me.  Often  have  I 
shared  the  same  bitter  cup  with  her,  it  seemed  always 
sweet.  Years  of  sickness  have  stolen  the  freshness  of  life ; 
but  like  the  faded  rose,  the  perfume  of  her  love  is  richer 
than  when  in  the  full  bloom  of  youth  and  maturity. 
Together  we  have  wept  over  the  graves.  Through  sun- 
shine and  storm  we  have  clung  together ;  and  now  she  sits 
with  her  knitting,  her  cap  quaintly  frilled,  the  old-style 
kerchief  crossed,  white  and  prim,  above  the  heart  that 
beat  so  long  and  truly  for  me;  the  dim  blue  eyes  that 
shrinkingly  front  the  glad  day,  the  sunlight  throwing  a 


TEE  A  GED  L  O  YER.  S07 

parting  farewell,  kisses  her  brow  and  leaves  upon  its  faint 
tracery  of  wrinkles  angelic  radiance. 

I  see,  though  no  one  else  can,  the  bright,  glad  young 
face  that  won  me  first,  and  the  glowing  love  of  forty  years 
tlirills  through  my  heart  till  tears  come.  Say  not  again 
that  I  can  no  longer  be  a  lover.  Though  this  form  be 
bowed,  God  imparted  eternal  life  within.  Let  the  ear  be 
deaf,  the  eye  blind,  the  hands  palsied,  the  limbs  withered, 
the  brain  clouded,  yet  the  heart,  the  true  heart  nmy  lujld 
such  wealth  of  love  that  all  the  powers  of  death  and  the 
victorious  grave  shall  not  be  able  to  put  out  its  quenchless 
flame. 


"THEY  TELL  ME  TM  GROWING  OLD," 

Said  Dr.  Guthrie,  ''because  my  hair  is  silvered,  and  there 
are  crowds-feet  upon  my  forehead,  and  my  step  is  not  so 
firm  and  elastic  as  of  yore.  But  tliey  are  mistaken.  That 
is  not  me.  The  brow  is  wrinkled,  but  the  brow  is  not  me. 
This  is  the  house  in  which  I  live ;  but  I  am  young,  younger 
now  than  I  ever  was  before."  Happy  the  num  who  keeps 
young  whilst  the  house  he  lives  in  is  growing  old.  Such 
men  we  know,  uniting  the  ripeness  of  age  with  the  warmth 
of  youth,  loving,  earnest  and  cheerful.  Happy  the  home, 
the  school,  or  the  social  circle  that  possesses  such  centres 
for  respect  and  affection!  Young  men,  live  so  as  to  be 
such  old   men. 


BIRTHDAY  TESTIMONIES. 

AN   AGED    woman's    BIKTHDAY    TESTIMONY.* 


I>''V-  '•'.--;':^ 


November  28,  1842. 

AM  now  eighty  years  old.  I  liave  had  thir- 
teen cliikb-en,  fifty  grandchildren,  and  twelve 
great-grandchildren.  Five  of  thetn  are 
Methodist  preachers,  proclaiming,  I  trust, 
the  same  glorious  doctrines  that  Christ  taught  his  disciples. 
Can  I,  then,  do  otherwise  than  bless  God  for  what  he  has 
done  for  me  and  mine.  It  is  seventy-one  years  since  I  set 
out  in  the  road  to  Zion  ;  and  from  that  time  to  the  present 
I  have  never  seen  a  moment  in  which  I  was  sorry  that  I 
had  commenced  the  heavenly  pilgrimage  ;  but  many  has 
been  the  time  I  have  sorrowed  for  not  having  lived  a  more 
holy  life.  I  can  only  say,  "  Enter  not  into  judgment  with 
thy  servant,  O  Lord."  Evidences  that  we  live  in  a  fallen 
world,  are  spread  all  about  ns.  We  see  them  on  every 
hand.  But,  blessed  be  God !  he  has  promised  an  Al- 
mighty Deliverer.  Christ  can  save  even  to  the  uttermost. 
His  blood  indeed  "cleanseth  from  all  sin."  We  read  that 
Joshua  "followed  the  Lord  with  all  his  heart,"  and  I 
would  be  like  him.  During  the  last  year,  especially,  I 
have  been  endeavoring  to  live  by  faith,  and  like  Enoch, 
"to  walk  with  God.'^   If  I  have  succeeded  at  all,  the  praise 


♦Mrs.  Widow  Eastman,  formerly  Mrs    Paddock,  mother  of  Revs.  Benjamin  G    and 
Zachariah  Faddook. 


ntBTIIDAY  TESTIMONIES.  209 

is  due  to  the  God  of  all  grace  and  comfort.  Within  the 
last  ten  years  I  have  read  my  precious  Bible  through  eight- 
een times.  Apart  from  my  Saviour — if,  indeed,  this  can' 
be  separated  from  him — nothing  is  so  near  my  heart  as 
this  -'book  divine."  To  me  it  is  no  longer  a  "sealed 
book."  Light  from  above  seems  to  shine  from  its  pages. 
The  more  I  read,  the  more  I  love  it.  With  David  I  can 
say,  "  O  how  I  love  thy  law."  Instructed  by  its  teach- 
ings, and  sustained  by  its  promises,  I  am  ke])t  in  perfect 
peace.  Many  well-meaning  men  ai-e  prophesying  that  the 
end  of  the  world  and  the  day  of  judgment  are  at  hand.  If 
so,  it  is  well.  The  judgment  has  no  terrors  for  me.  I 
feel  fully  prepared  to  see  "our  God  in  grandeur,  and  our 
world  on  tire."  The  Judge  is  my  friend,  and  I  feel  I  can 
rejoice  to  meet  him  in  the  air.  To  him  I  can  now  appeal 
and  say,  as  did  Peter,  "Lord,  thou  knowest  all  things; 
thou  knowest  that  I  love  thee." 


SIXTY-TWO. 

This  is  my  birthday ;  I  am  sixty-two.  It  «eems  but  a 
few  days,  as  it  were,  since  I  was  sixty-one.  These  birth- 
days—these mile-stones  along  the  journey  of  life— that 
mark  my  progress  onward,  are  seemingly  passed  with  an 
increased  rapidity.  It  is  sometimes  alarming  to  think  liov/ 
few  must  remain,  and  how  soon  they  will  all  be  passed, 
and  I  shall  be  ushered  into  the  world  of  the  unseen  and 
eternal. 


210  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

I  sometimes  am  startled  to  think  how  soon  I  shall  be  in 
tlie  midst  of  those  great  realities  of  which  I  have  heard 
and  read  and  thought  so  much.  Soon  will  they  be  present 
realities  to  me — objects  of  sight,  and  no  longer  objects  of 
faith.  I  shall  gaze  face  to  face  on  eternal  scenes.  And  I 
shall  know,  even  as  I  am  known. 

And  yet,  if  I  am  prepared,  as  through  abounding 
grace  I  hope  I  am,  why  should  I  shrink  back  ?  Why 
should  I  desire  to  block  the  rapidly  revolving  wheels  of 
time  ?  They  are  speeding  me  onward  to  my  eternal  home 
in  the  skies.  They  are  bringing  me  nearer  and  nearer  to 
my  glorious  Saviour.  They  are  hastening  my  companion- 
ship with  holy  angels,  and  the  spirits  of  just  men  made 
perfect  in  heaven.  The  more  rapidly  I  am  borne  onward, 
the  sooner  shall  I  be  done  with  temptations  and  trials  and 
sorrows,  and  be  an  inhabitant  of  that  city  where  "they 
shall  hunger  no  more,  neither  shall  they  thirst  any  more ; 
neither  shall  the  sun  light  on  them,  nor  any  heat.  For  the 
Lamb  whicli  is  in  the  midst  of  the  throne  shall  feed  them, 
and  shall  lead  them  unto  living  fountains  of  waters ;  and 
God  shall  wipe  away  all  tears  from  their  eyes."  Welcome, 
then,  the  flight  of  time  ! 

Ye  wheels  of  nature,  speed  your  course! 

Ye  mortal  powers,  decay  ! 
Fast  as  ye  bring  the  night  of  death, 

Ye  bring  eternal  day. 


The  happiness  or  unhappiness  of  old  age  is  often  nothing 
but  the  extract  of  a  past  life. 


THE  BEAUTY  OF  OLD  AGE. 


ERON,  an  old  man  of  eighty  yeav^..,  was  one 
day  sitting  before  tlie  door  o+'  his  rustic 
dwelling  enjoying  the  bright  and  cheerful 
autumn  morning.  His  eye  rested  now  upon 
the  blue  hills  in  the  distance,  from  whose  tops  the  mist 
was  stealing  upward  like  the  smoke  of  burnt  offerings,  and 
now  upon  his  mirthful  grandchildren,  wlu)  were  sporting 
around  him.  A  youth  from  the  city  approached  the  old 
man,  and  entered  into  discourse  with  him.  When  the 
youth  heard  the  number  of  his  years  from  his  own  lips,  he 
wondered  at  his  yigorous  age  and  his  ruddy  countenance  ; 
whereupon  he  asked  the  old  man,  whence  it  came  that  he 
enjoyed  such  strength  and  cheerfulness  in  the  late  autumn 
of  life?  Geron  answered:  "My  son,  these,  like  every 
other  good  thing,  are  gifts  which  come  to  us  from  above, 
the  merit  of  which  we  cannot  claim  to  ourselves,  and  still 
we  can  do  something  hei'C  below  to  enable  us  to  obtain 
them."  Having  uttered  these  words,  the  old  man  arose, 
and  led  the  stranger  into  his  orchard,  and  showed  him  the 
tall  and  noble  trees  covered  with  delicious  fruit,  the  sight 
of  which  gladdened  the  heart.  Then  the  old  man  spoke: 
"  Canst  thou  wonder  that  I  now  enjoy  the  fruit  of  these 
trees  ?     See,   my  son,  I  planted  them  in  my  youth  ;  thou 


212  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

hast  the  secret  of  my  happy  and  fruitful  old  age.'^  The 
youth  cast  a  look  full  of  meaning  upon  the  old  man,  for  he 
^inderstood  his  words,  and  treasured  them  up  in  his  heart. 

— Brumacher. 


A  Good  Old  Man  is  the  best  antiquity ;  one  whom  time 
hath  been  thus  long  a  working,  and,  like  winter,  ripened 
when  others  are  shaken  down.  He  looks  over  his  former 
life  as  a  danger  well  past,  and  would  not  hazard  himself  to 
begin  again.  The  next  door  of  death  saps  him  not,  but  he 
expects  it  calmly,  as  his  turn  in  nature.  All  men  look  on 
him  as  a  common  father,  and  on  old  age,  for  his  sake,  as  a 
reverent  thing.  He  practices  his  experience  on  youth, 
without  harshness  or  reproof,  and  in  his  council  is  good 
company.  You  must  pardon  him  if  he  likes  his  own  times 
better  than  these,  because  those  things  are  follies  to  him 
now,  that  were  wisdom  then;  yet  he  makes  us  of  that 
opinion,  too,  when  we  see  him,  and  conjecture  those  times 
by  so  good  a  relic.  —Bishop  Earl. 


THE  GKA^DEUR  OF  OLD  AGE. 

Blessed  old  age,  if  you  let  it  come  naturally.  The 
grandest  things  in  all  the  universe  are  old.  Old  moun- 
tains ;  old  rivers  ;  old  seas  ;  old  stars ;  and  an  old  eternity. 
Then  do  not  be  ashamed  to  be  old,  unless  you  are  older 

than  the  mountains,  and  older  than  the  seas. 

— Talmage. 


GOD  CARES. 


ET  me  tell  you,"  said  the  friend  with  whom 
I  was  conversing,  "  how  God  taught  me 
about  His  loving  kindness,  so  that  I  have 
helieved  in  it  ever  since.  It  was  in  so 
simple  a  way,  that  a  voice  from  heaven  addressed  directly . 
to  me,  would  not,  I  think,  have  been  more  impressive. 
"  It  was  some  time  ago,  when  my  health  was  so  j)()or,  you 
remember,  and  these  pecuniary  troubles  were  pending,  and 
everything  worried  and  vexed  me  so,  that  it  was  hard  ta 
feel  that  God  was  good.  In  this  mood  I  walked  into  the 
field  one  day  to  be  alone  a  little,  and  rest  and  think.  The 
strawberries  were  plentiful,  and  almost  unconsciously  I 
began  picking  a  handful  on  the  long  stems,  while  my 
thoughts  took  the  form  of  half  soliloquy,  half  prayer, 
'  Dear  Lord,  dost  Thou  care  ?  These  anxieties  are  wear- 
ing me  out ;  these  burdens,  petty  as  they  seem  to  every- 
body else,  are  weighing  me  to  the  very  dust ;  and  are 
borne  to  no  purpose  either.  But  if  I  could  know  ray  Lord 
did  care,  all  would  be  easier.  Oh,  show  me  that,  poor  and 
insignificant  as  I  am,  Thou  dost  think  lovingly  of  me.' 
Just  then,  by  a  sudden  impulse,  I  arose  and  hastened  some 
steps  in  an  opposite  direction.  Recalled  by  the  movement 
to  myself,  I  thought,  with  a  little  surprise,  '  Why  did  I 


214  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

leave  that  spot  where  the  berries  were  large  and  nice  ? ' 
Curiosity  led  me  back,  where  I  saw — what  my  preoccupied 
mind  and  tearful  eyes  prevented  ray  seeing  before — a 
ground-sparrow's  nest,  full  of  tiny  day-old  birdlings  !  One 
step  more  and,  had  I  not  heeded  that  strong  impulse  to 
turn  away,  I  should  have  crushed  them.  Could  I  help 
knowing  it  was  the  sparrow's  God  that  kept  me  from 
destroying  them?  And  could  I  help  believing,  that  He  who 
watched  the  sparrows  cared  for  me?  That  sweet,  delicious 
sense  which  then  came  over  me,  that  I,  with  my  little 
humble  interests,  was  daily  dear  to  God,  will,  I  believe, 
never  leave  me  till  I  die.  I  knelt  down  by  the  little  birds 
that  brought  me  this  great  comfort,  and  praised  God  ; 
then  went  home,  saying  over  thankfully,  to  myself,  the 
dear  Christ's  words:  '  Not  one  of  them  shall  fall  on  the 
ground  without  your  Father.  Fear  ye  not,  therefore ;  ye 
are  of  more  value  than  many  sparrows.'  " 

"When  my  friend  had  finished  her  little  story,  we  sat  a 
few  minutes  in  silence,  thinking — 

"  Behold  how  Jesus  trusts  Himself 
Unto  our  childish  love." 


"I  am  poor  and  needy;  yet  the  Lord  thinketh  upon  me; 
Thou  ai't  my  help  and  my  deliverer."  —Psalms  40:  17. 

"For  he  hath  said,  I  will  never  leave  thee,  por  forsake 
thee.'^  — Hebrews  IZ:1:>. 


THE  REFINER  OF  SILVER. 


OME  time  since,  a  few  ladies  who  met  in  Dub- 
lin to  read  tlie  Scriptures,  and  make  tliein 
the  subject  of  conversation,  were  reading 
the  third  chapter  of  Malachi.  One  of  the 
ladies  gave  it  as  her  opinion  that  the  "fuller's  soap"  and 
the  "refiner  of  silver"  were  the  same  image,  both  in- 
tended to  convey  the  same  view  of  the  sanctifying  influ- 
ence of  the  grace  of  Christ ;  while  another  observed,  there 
is  something  remarkable  in  the  expression  in  the  third 
verse:  "And  he  shall  sit  as  a  refiner  and  purifier  of  silver." 
They  agreed  that  possibly  it  might  be  so ;  and  one  of  the 
ladies  proposed  to  call  on  a  silversmith,  and  report  to 
them  what  he  said  on  the  subject.  She  went  accordingly, 
and  without  telling  the  object  of  her  errand,  begged  to 
know  the  process  of  refining  silver,  which  he  fully  described 
to  her. 

"But,  sir,"  she  said,  "do  you  sit  while  the  work  of 
refining  is  going  on  ?  " 

"Oh,  yes,  madam,"  replied  the  silversmith;  "I  must 
sit  with  my  eye  steadily  fixed  on  the  furnace,  for  if  the 
time  necessary  for  refining  be  exceeded  in  the  slightest 
degree,  the  silver  will  be  injured." 

She  saw  at  once  the  beauty,  and  comfort  too,  of  the 


iUd 


216  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

expression,  "He  shall  sit  as  a  refiner  and  purifier  of  silver." 
Christ  sees  it  needful  to  put  his  children  into  the  furnace ; 
His  eye  is  steadily  intent  on  the  work  of  purifying,  and 
His  wisdom  and  love  are  both  engaged  in  the  best  manner 
for  them.  Their  trials  do  not  come  at  random;  "the  very 
hairs  of  your  head  are  all  numbered."  As  the  lady  was 
leaving  the  shop,  the  silversmith  called  her  back,  and  said 
he  had  still  further  to  mention,  that  he  only  knew  when 
the  process  of  purifying  was  complete,  by  seeing  his  own 
image  reflected  in  the  silver.  Beautiful  figure !  When 
Christ  shall  see  his  own  image  in  his  people,  his  work  of 
purifying  will  be  accomplished. 


A  BEAUTIFUL  THOUGHT. 

God  knows  what  keys  in  the  human  soul  to  touch,  in 
order  to  draw  out  its  sweetest  and  most  perfect  harmonies. 
They  may  be  the  minor  strains  of  sadness  and  sorrow  ; 
they  may  be  the  loftiest  notes  of  joy  and  gladness.  God 
knows  wdiere  the  melodies  of  our  nature  are,  and  what 
discipline  will  call  them  forth.  Some  with  plaintive  song, 
must  walk  in  the  lowly  vales  of  life's  weary  way ;  others, 
in  loftier  hymns,  shall  sing  of  nothing  but  joy,  as  they 
tread  the  mountain  tops  of  life ;  but  they  all  unite  without 
a  discord  or  jar,  as  the  ascending  anthem  of  loving  and 
believing  hearts  finds  its  way  into  the  chorus  of  the 
redeemed  in  heaven. 


CHRIST  IS  ALL  IN  ALL. 


IIRIST  is  evervtliing  to  the  Christian  in  time 
of  troxihle.  Who  has  escaped  trouble?  AVe 
must  all  stoop  down  and  drink  out  of  the 
bitter  lake.  The  moss  has  no  time  to  grow 
on  the  buckets  that  come  up  out  of  the  heart's  well,  drip- 
ping witli  tears.  Great  trials  are  upon  our  track  as  certain 
as  greyhound  pack  on  the  scent  of  deer.  From  our  hearts, 
in  every  direction,  there  are  a  thousand  chords  reaching 
out  binding  us  to  loved  ones,  and  ever  and  anon  some  of 
these  tendrils  snap.  The  winds  that  cross  this  sea  of  life 
are  not  all  abaft.  The  clouds  that  cross  our  sky  are  not 
feathery  and  afar,  straying,  like  flocks  of  sheep  on  lieavenly 
pastures ;  but  wrathful  and  sombre,  and  gleaming  with 
terror,  they  wrap  the  mountains  in  fire,  and  come  down 
baying  with  their  thunders  through  every  gorge.  The 
richest  fruits  of  blessing  have  a  prickly  shell.  Life  here  is 
not  lying  at  anchor ;  it  is  weathering  a  gale.  It  is  not 
sleeping  in  a  soldier's  tent,  with  our  arms  stacked ;  it  is  a 
bayonet  charge.  AYe  stumble  over  grave-stones,  and  we 
drive  on  with  our  wheel  deep  in  the  old  rut  of  graves. 
Trouble  has  wrinkled  your  brow,  and  it  has  frosted  your 
head.  Falling  in  this  battle  of  life,  is  there  no  angel  of 
mercy  to  bind  our  wounds  ?    Hath  God  made  this  world  witli 

217 


218  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

so  many  things  to  hurt,  and  none  to  heal  ?  For  this  snake- 
bite of  sorrow,  is  there  no  herb  growing  by  all  the  brooks 
to  heal  the  poison?  Blessed  be  God,  that  in  the  Gospel 
We  find  the  antidote !  Christ  has  bottled  up  an  ocean  of 
tears.  How  many  thorns  He  has  plucked  out  of  human 
agony!  Oh  !  He  knows  too  well  what  it  is  to  carry  a  cross, 
not  to  help  us  carry  ours.  He  knows  too  well  what  it  is 
to  climb  the  mountain,  not  to  help  us  up  the  steep.  He 
knows  too  well  what  it  is  to  be  persecuted,  not  to  help 
those  who  are  imposed  upon.  He  knows  too  well  what  it 
is  to  be  sick,  not  to  help  those  who  suffer.  Ay,  He  knows 
too  well  what  it  is  to  die,  not  to  help  us  in  our  last  extrem- 
ity. Blessed  Jesus,  Thou  knowest  it  all.  Seeing  Thy 
wounded  side,  and  Thy  wounded  hand,  and  Thy  wounded 
feet,  and  Thy  wounded  brow,  we  are  sure  Thou  knowest  it 
all.  Oh !  when  those  into  whose  bosoms  we  used  to 
breathe  our  sorrows,  are  snatched  from  us,  blessed  be  God 
the  heart  of  Jesus  still  beats  ;  and  when  all  other  lights  go 
out,  and  the  world  gets  dark,  then  we  see  coming  out  from 
behind  a  cloud  something  so  bright  and  cheering,  we  know 
it  to  be  the  morning  star  of  the  soul's  deliverance.  The 
hand  of  care  may  make  you  stagger,  or  the  hand  of  perse- 
cution may  beat  you  down,  or  the  hand  of  disappointment 
may  beat  you  back  ;  but  there  is  a  Hand,  and  it  is  so  kind, 
and  it  is  so  gentle,  that  it  wipeth  all  tears  from  all  faces. 

— Talmage. 


"He  shall  deliver  thee  in  six  troubles;  yea,  in  seven, 
there  shall  no  evil  touch  thee."  —Job  5: 19. 


AN  ADDRESS  TO  CHRISTIANS  OF  FIFTY 
AND  BEYOND. 

Eev.  Hooper  Crews,  D.D.* 


'TIE  very  large  anny  of  Christians  who  liave 
attained  or  exceeded  the  age  of  half  a  cen- 
tury, is  a  most  interesting  one.  The  call 
upon  me  to  address  you  wlio  have  readied 
that  mature  age,  lias  surprised  me;  but  I  shall  trv  to 
improve  my  opportunity  with  modesty  and  great  honesty. 
You,  my  fellow  pilgrims,  have  come  into  your  second 
majorit3\  You  are  free  from  those  mistakes  and  follies 
that  I'esult  from  inexperience  and  superficial  knowledge. 
It  is  reasonable  to  suppose  that  Christians  fifty  years  old 
and  over,  know  what  Christianity  is.  They  know  it  as  a 
Divine  influence  and  positive  comnmnication  from  God, 
through  the  agency  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  shed  upon  penitent 
believers.  It  has  produced  that  radical  change  by  which  we 
pass  from  darkness  to  light,  and  from  the  power  of  Satan 
to  God.  You  know  that  in  Christianity  there  can  be  no 
substitute  for  this  spiritual  change,  called  in  the  word  of 
God,  regeneration,  the  new  birth,  a  creation  in  Christ 
Jesus.     Those  who  have  thus  been  born  again,  are  called 


*  While  this  volume  was  passing  through  the  press,  Dr.  Crews  finished  his  work  aud 
passed  to  his  reward.  219 


220  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

new  creatures.  They  have  put  off  the  old  man,  and  put  on 
the  new  man,  Christ  Jesus.  I  feel  freer  to  address  those  of 
your  age,  because  I  am  included ;  and  I  can  take  to  myself  all 
I  say  to  or  of  you.  As  the  Apostle  Peter  addressed  the 
elders,  being  himself  an  elder,  and  exhorted  them  to  feed 
the  flock  of  God,  and  take  the  oversight  thereof,  not  by 
constraint,  nor  for  filthy  lucre,  but  of  a  i*eady  mind ;  so  I, 
being  one  of  you,  exhort  you  to  consider  your  age,  and  look 
upon  the  children  and  youth  among  you  who  need  your 
example,  your  knowledge,  and  your  wisdom,  and  the 
strength  and  light  that  God  has  given  you.  It  is  true  of 
every  man,  of  ever}'  age  and  rank  in  society,  that  none  can 
live  to  himself.  God  has  so  linked  mankind  together,  that 
every  man  is  a  force  bearing  upon  all  persons  around  him. 
His  influence  may  be  more,  or  it  may  be  less,  but  he  has 
some — enough  to  affect  some  person  or  persons  for  good 
or  for  evil.  In  spite  of  ourselves,  we  have  influence,  and 
do  modify  our  fellow-beings.  I  am  glad  we  can  determine 
what  that  influence  shall  be.  If  we  choose  our  life  and 
character  to'  be  good,  we  shall  benefit  ourselves  and  profit 
others.  I  am  confident  that  no  one  class  of  persons  exerts 
ft  greater  influence  than  those  whom  I  address.  A  Christ- 
ian fifty  years  old,  is  known.  Judgment  by  tlie  public 
has  passed  upon  him.  He  may  not  for  many  years  have 
professed  the  Christian  religion,  but  with  few  exceptions 
he  has  been  a  Christian  long  enough  to  show  his  character 
so  fully,  that  observers  will  see  the  manifestation  of  the 
grace  of  God  that  is  in  him,  so  as  to  win  confidence.  The 
elements  of  character  that  carrv  influence  are  all  supposed 


AN  ADDRESS  TO  CHRISTIANS.         221 

to  be  within  reach  of  men  of  such  an  age.  Those  who 
have  been  so  neglectful  as  to  reach  that  age  without  attain- 
ing such  elements  of  character,  arc  hardly  worthy  of  being 
called  Christians.  Yet,  nij  friends,  when  I  think  of  you, 
and  at  the  same  time  think  of  the  full  meaning  of  the 
word  Christian,  I  am  sure  of  your  influence  for  God 
and  his    cause,  if  you  will  only  take   heed  to  yourselves. 

Try  to  realize  where  you  are,  what  you  are,  and  what 
you  may  be,  and  do.  You  are  a  subject  of  saving  grace, 
brought  into  family  relationship  with  Christ,  your  elder 
Brother.  You  are  an  heir  of  God,  and  a  joint  heir  with 
Christ.  As  such,  you  are  counted  worthy  of  some  position 
in  the  Church.  If  you  have,  for  a  few  years,  been  a  real, 
loving,  earnest,  zealous,  working,  spiritual  Christian,  you 
have  become  a  necessity  to  the  Church,  and  to  that  office 
or  position  with  which  the  Church  has  honored  you.  There 
has  been  no  unholy  ambition  on  your  part.  You  have 
sought  to  prove,  in  your  experience,  the  length  and 
breadth,  the  depth  and  height,  and  to  know  the  love 
of  Christ,  that  passeth  knowledge.  Your  fidelity  had  no 
motive  but  to  discharge  your  obligations  to  Plim  who  loved 
you  and  gave  Himself  for  you.  Your  rich  experience  of 
grace  gave  j'ou  such  an  humble  view  of  self,  such  exalted 
conceptions  of  your  Saviour,  as  caused  you  to  feel  that 
your  highest  privilege  is  to  love  and  serve  the  cause  of  such 
a  friend.  Everybody  loved  you,  because  you  loved  ever}-- 
body. 

Now,  through  sound  conversion  and  faithful  service,  we 
all  may  exert  an  influence  for  good.    We  nuiy  be  so  loving, 


S2S  FIFTY  TFABS  AND  BEYOND. 

so  true,  so  active,  so  constant,  so  free  from  selfishness,  and 
all  ostentation,  that  our  influence  will  be  a  benediction 
wherever  we  go.  Piety  may  crown  the  intelligence,  knowl- 
edge and  refined  culture  of  all  who  have  attained  to  the 
age  mentioned  at  the  head  of  this  address.  What  floods 
of  light,  of  life  and  comfort  such  persons  nnist  shed  upon 
the  world  of  mankind  as  God's  ordained  mediums  of  Divine 
communication,  and  as  instruments  of  his  great  salvation. 
What  glorious  things  God  would  do  through  you.  IIow 
mighty  would  be  your  agency  for  good.  It  is  true,  you 
differ  greatly  as  to  condition  in  life,  as  to  social  position,  as 
to  means  and  opportunities  for  culture,  as  to  education, 
and  general  knowledge.  You  are  in  all  ranks  of  society, 
engaged  in  all  kinds  of  legitimate  business ;  you  are  in 
the  crowded  city,  or  scattered  through  the  rural  districts. 
You  are  in  the  best  cultivated  and  most  improved  portions 
of  the  land,  or  you  reside  in  its  wild  and  unsubdued  fron- 
tier. Some  direct  and  some  execute ;  some  lead  and  some 
follow ;  but  all  may  be  true  and  good,  each  in  his  sphere. 
I  may  therefore  address  you  as  the  Apostle  addresses  al) 
Christians  :  "  For  as  we  have  many  members  in  one  body, 
and  all  members  have  not  the  same  office ;  so  we,  being 
many,  are  one  body  in  Christ,  and  every  one,  members 
one  of  another."  Having  differing  gifts,  let  us  "so  use 
our  varied  talent"  in  the  common  cause  of  religion  that 
we  may  be  workers  together  with  God.  Whether  we  have 
one,  two,  or  five  talents,  we  owe  the  entire  devotion  to 
Him,  and  owe  the  one  as  much  as  others  owe  the  five.  Let 
us  not  receive  the  grace  of  God  in  vain.     Whatever  may 


AlSr  ABBBESS  TO  CHBISTIANS.         2^^, 

be  our  difference  in  position,  in  luitural  or  acquired  talent, 
in  all  points  of  Christian  obligation,  we  are  the  same 
before  God.  AVe  are  alike  required  to  be  examples  to 
others;  to  let  our  light  shine ;  to  so  live  that  the  great  con- 
servative power  given  us  shall  save.  However  silent  it 
may  be,  it  must  be  felt.  No  difference  is  noticed  by  the 
great  teacher  when  he  said,  '"ye  are  the  salt  of  the  earth. 
If  the  salt  have  lost  its  savor,  it  is  thenceforth  good  for 
nothing." 

As  to  active  work,  God  has  made  us  to  differ  in  some 
respects.  Under  his  moral  government,  circumstances, 
and  surroundings,  largely  beyond  our  control,  have  made 
us  to  differ ;  but  that  providential  difference  fits  us  for  the 
different  work  there  is  to  do,  and  for  the  different  places 
where  that  w^ork  must  providentially  be  perf  :)rmed.  Hence, 
among  those  whom  I  address,  we  have  teachers,  professors, 
presidents  of  colleges  and  universities,  pastors  of  churches, 
of  various  positions.  Some  filling  pulpits  of  great  control- 
ling power,  others  of  less  influence,  and  more  obscure.  We 
have  also  bishops,  who  are  pastors  of  pastors,  whose  learn- 
ing and  deep  piety,  zeal  and  fidelity  make  them  worthy  of 
the  confidence  and  trust  which  the  Church  has  bestowed 
upon  them.  Yet  our  greatest  men  are  required  to  shine — not 
to  display  their  learning,  though  that  may  be  good  in  its 
place,  and  worthy.  The  eminent  must  not  so  shine  before 
men  that  their  good  works  shall  praise  them,  or  praise  the 
good  works.  The  high  and  the  lowly  must  glorify  their 
Father  which  is  in  heaven.  In  practical  life,  Jesus  gave 
a  model  character.     It  is  true,  he  was  Divine,  but  he  never 


224  FIFTY  YEABS  AND  BEYOND. 

used  his  Divinity  for  liis  support  in  any  absolute  sense. 
When  he  was  tempted,  he  resisted  the  devil  by  the  use  of 
the  Scriptures.  When  he  was  hungry,  he  did  not  use  his 
Divinity  to  turn  stones  to  bread.  He  used  alone  the  words 
that  proceeded  out  of  the  mouth  of  God,  until  in  some 
natural  way  he  was  provided  for.  He  was  tempted ;  so 
are  we.  He  depended  for  his  daily  supplies,  as  we  do. 
He  prayed  to  God,  and  received  answers  to  prayer.  His 
pure  unselfish  life  shows  us  how  to  live  after  that  model. 
How  little  did  he  think  of  this  world ;  how  all  its  influence 
was  thrown  off  as  to  its  effect  on  his  human  character.  He 
said,  "My  meat  is  to  do  the  will  of  Plim  that  sent  me,  and 
finish  his  work."  My  brethren,  had  we  the  devotion  to 
one  work,  which  he  had,  could  we  say,  as  he  said,  and 
with  the  same  force  of  meaning,  "  I  seek  not  my  own  glory, 
but  the  glory  of  Him  that  sent  me;  "  and  could  we  keep 
our  spirit  alive  by  constant  practice  and  prayer,  as  he  did, 
how  nmch  nearer  to  our  model  would  we  attain  !  It  is  our 
duty  and  our  highest  privilege,  to  live  as  he  also  lived.  The 
Christian's  new  life  is  an  indwelling  Christ — a  life  in  Christ 
— a  life  hid  with  Christ  in  God.  To  shine,  is  to  be  like 
him  in  character — to  have  the  same  loving  disposition,  the 
same  cheerful,  willing  obedience,  the  same  meek,  self-sac- 
rificing devotion  to  the  best  interests  of  all  men,  the  same 
independent  love  of  truth,  and  confidence  in  it,  and  a  bold 
utterance  of  the  truth.  We  should  not  live  as  if  we 
doubted  God's  authority,  but  should  have  a  bold,  authori- 
tative expression  like  Paul  when  he  said,  "  I  know  in  whom 
I  have  believed."     Such  a  character,  exemplified  as  nat- 


AN  ADDRESS  TO  CHRISTIANS.         225 

urally  as  the  fruit  grows,  would  be  to  let  our  light  shine. 
Our  good  works  would  be  seen,  as  the  fruits  of  the  true 
vine,  of  which  all  true  Christians  are  the  branches.  Now 
here  is  where  we  reach  a  common  level,  and  become  one  in 
Christ  Jesus.  Great  and  small,  learned  and  unlearned,  must 
realize  that  without  Christ  they  can  do  nothing,  absolutely 
nothing.  But  through  Christ's  strength  they  can  do  all 
things  that  are  required,  in  order  to  the  most  complete 
development  of  Christian  character  in  all  the  beauties  of 
holiness.  Whether  we  do  great  things,  or  small  things — 
have  one  talent  or  five — whether  we  have  a  high  or  low 
position,  we  must  show  Christ.  We  must  be  found  not 
having  on  our  own  righteousness,  but  that  which  is  by 
faith  in  Christ  Jesus.  If  we  make  our  Christian  profes- 
sion a  success,  it  will  be  by  following  the  example  of  those 
who  have  escaped  the  corruption  that  is  in  the  world 
through  lust;  who  said,  as  facts  in  their  exprience,  "I  am 
crucified  to  the  world,  and  the  world  to  me.  I  live,  and 
yet  not  I;  but  Christ  liveth  in  me.  This  one  thing  I  do; 
forgetting  those  things  which  are  behind,  and  reaching 
forth  unto  those  things  which  are  before,  I  press  toward 
the  mark,  for  the  prize  of  the  high  calling  of  God  in  Christ 
Jesus."  Such  an  experience  as  Paul  had,  is  the  experience 
we  all  ought  to  have.  Does  he  not  mean  as  much,  when 
he  says,  "Those  things  which  ye  have  both  learned 
and  received,  and  heard,  and  seen  in  me,  do."  If  we 
accept  his  doctrine,  and  hand  it  down,  ought  we  not  also 
his  example,  and  convey  the  same  to  those  who  come  after 
us?     It  is  little  matter  what  else  we  have,  if  we  are  lacking 


226  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

in  character,  and  it  becomes  known,  we  can  accomplish 
nothing  for  the  cause  of  religion.  We  may  lack  educa- 
tion,  and  all  our  qualifications  for  public  service,  but  if  our 
lives  are  known  to  have  been  governed  by  the  words  of 
Jesus,  and  consistent  with  what  is  expected  of  his  disciples, 
then  the  way  is  opened  for  usefulness.  Every  effort  will 
leave  an  impression,  every  word  produce  an  eifect,  of  some 
lasting  good.  We  can  not  dispense  with  consistent  piety. 
If  we  have  it,  and  have  other  qualifications,  all  the  better. 
If  piety,  when  almost  alone,  will  be  efiicient  in  doing  good, 
how  much  more  will  it  accomplish  when  permitted  to  lead 
and  direct  all  other  helps  and  instrumentalities.  Any  one, 
who  will,  may  be  pious.  Its  substance  is  from  God,  and  it 
is  His  good  pleasure  to  bestow  it.  It  is  for  all,  and  who- 
ever will  receive  it,  and  cultivate  it,  shall  have  more 
abundantly.  "  Light"  is  another  word  for  piety.  In  the 
darkness,  light  is  good  for  him  who  carries  it,  and  for  those 
in  whose  company  he  walks,  giving  out  the  light  to  others, 
which  is  thereby  made  no  less  useful  to  himself  It  is  so 
with  piety.  It  guides  the  way  of  him  who  ]30ssesses  it, 
and  sends  out  its  influence  on  all  who  are  associated  with 
him.  As  he  who  carries  a  light  is  thereby  the  giver  of 
light  in  the  darkness,  so  the  genuinely  pious  is  a  guide  that 
it  is  safe  to  follow  in  a  long  common  life,  in  the  discharge 
of  its  duties  in  the  shop,  on  the  farm,  in  the  store,  in  the 
bank,  in  the  family — everywhere. 

Such  piety  would  shine  and  be  useful  in  all  Christians  ; 
but  it  would  be  pre-eminently  so  in  you.  Your  age  is  such 
that  you  are  known  to  more  persons  than  those  who  are 


AN  ADDRESS  TO  CHRISTIANS.         227 

younger.  Your  character  is  more  fully  established.  You 
have  matured  in  body  and  mind.  Let  all  Christian  men 
of  fifty  and  over,  who  are  not  thoroughly  consecrated  to 
God,  at  once  yield  to  the  divine  claim,  and  become  per- 
meated and  filled  with  all  the  fullness  of  God. 

Your  influence  on  the  younger  Christians  is  needed. 
Many  of  you  are  in  some  ofiicial  position  in  the  Cliurch. 
Most  of  you  professed  conversion  many  years  ago.  You 
are  generally  known  to  the  coming  generation.  The  chil- 
dren and  youth  will  get  their  impression  of  practical  piety 
and  of  experimental  religion  from  you.  If  you  remain 
faithful,  their  impression  will  be  correct,  and  may  lead 
them  in  the  way  of  righteousness.  Be  sure  of  one  thing, 
you  are  each  a  model  for  some  one.  Some  one,  or  more, 
are  looking  to  you,  shaping  and  shading  after  the  pattern 
you  have  set  before  them.  Wise,  sensible  persons  ought 
never  to  wish  others  to  do  as  they  say,  and  not  as  they 
do.  Wise  counsel,  if  it  succeed,  must  be  illustrated 
closely  by  a  harmonious  life.  The  whole  body  of  believ- 
ers need  this  decided,  outspoken  religion.  Many  of 
you  have  been  pained  by  a  bold  profession,  that  has 
been  followed  by  a  faithless  life.  The  gi-eat  fault  is  in 
the  lack  of  stability,  and  the  want  of  fidelity.  That  at 
which  men  become  ofiPended,  is  Christian  inconsistency. 
Salvation  means  deliverance  from  the  power  as  well  as 
the  guilt  of  sin.  Therefore,  let  us  be  decided  in  our 
profession  of  Christ,  but  let  us  at  the  same  time  abhor 
that  which  is  evil  "and  walk  worthy  of  the  vocation  where- 
with we  are  called,  with  all  lowliness,  and  meekness,  with 


228         FIFTY  YEARS  Al^D  BEYOND. 

long-suffering,  forbearing  with  one  another  in  love,  endeav- 
oring to  keep  the  unity  of  the  spirit,  and  the  bond  of  peace." 
There  is  one  body,  "one  hope  of  our  calling,  and  one 
Lord,  one  faith,  one  baptism,  one  God  and  Father  of  all." 
My  brethren,  let  us  lose  sight  of  all  we  have  read  or  heard 
from  men,  who  have  disputed  about  the  perfection  or 
imperfection  of  Christian  character ;  and  let  us  take  the 
words  of  Jesus  and  his  Apostles.  Let  us  believe  the 
promises  they  have  made  to  us  through  the  merits  of  tliat 
Kedemption  we  have  in  the  blood  of  Christ.  Let  us  come 
to  the  fullness  of  these  provisions  as  we  are  invited,  and 
accept  all  that  is  offered,  and  prove  for  ourselves  that 
Jesus  is  able  to  save  to  the  uttermost. 

Since  we  began  life,  what  changes  have  been  made  in 
our  facilities  for  worship  through  the  increased  wealth  and 
taste  of  our  cultivated  civilization.  What  helps  we  have 
for  aggressive  work,  in  better  church  building,  better  sala- 
ries, and  other  modern  improvements.  The  people,  as  a 
whole,  are  in  a  better  condition.  They  live  in  better 
homes.  More  capital  is  used  in  business.  Better  schools, 
general  intelligence,  increasing  facilities  for  gaining  and 
circulating  knowledge — all  is  constantly  improving.  How 
greatly  have  Sunday-schools  multiplied.  What  a  wonder- 
ful growth  in  its  literature,  in  its  songs  and  hymns.  What 
an  absorbing  grip  it  has  on  much  of  the  greatest  and  best 
cultivated  talent  of  our  times.  Such  is  the  vast  machinery 
which  it  now  works,  and  such  is  its  power,  that  the  whole 
Christian  world  is  affected  by  it. 

To  an  anxious  Christian,  the  question  is  unavoidable : 


AN  ADDEESS  TO  CHEISTIANS.         229 

"Are  the  spiritual,  fervent  parts  of  worship  improved  as 
these  externals  would  indicate?"  While  we  enlarge  and 
Vjeautifj  the  house  of  God,  step  noiselessly  upon  its  soft 
carpets,  or  sit  or  kneel  in  its  peM^s  or  at  its  altars,  upon  its 
well-prepared  cushions,  are  our  hearts  enlarging,  are  we 
adorning  ourselves  with  the  beauties  of  holiness  ?  Are  our 
hearts,  in  the  sight  of  God,  made  as  invitingly  lovely  and 
])ure,  for  the  reception  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  as  our  seats  and 
altars  for  our  own  reception  ?  Does  our  learned,  well-paid 
ministry  flame  with  zeal,  and  their  beautiful,  appropriate 
words  fall  with  power;  and  are  the  zeal  and  power  of  tlie 
Church  increased  proportionately  ?  Are  the  fruits  we  gather 
from  our  Sunday-schools,  with  all  their  improvements,  the 
money  invested,  the  talent  used,  time  employed  in  the  way 
of  conversions,  of  real  Bible  knowledge  obtained  and  relig- 
ious benefits  received,  equal  to  the  great  advance  in  these 
facilities  ?  I  do  not  ask  these  questions  in  the  spirit  of  a 
doubter,  but  on  the  contrary,  I  approve  of  it  all.  Neither 
do  I  intend  to  find  fault  with  any  of  the  developments  of 
the  times  to  which  I  have  alluded.  I  simply  call  attention 
to  a  few  facts :  The  persons  whom  I  address  have  had 
more  to  do  in  planning  these  things  than  any  other  portion 
of  community.  Your  money  has  been  invested,  and  your 
credit  strained  in  man}^  instances,  to  execute  these  plans. 
As  far  as  I  have  been  able  to  learn,  you  have  had  good 
motives  in  view.  You  aimed  to  provide  for  the  public  in 
your  respective  churches  and  communities.  You  wished 
to  save  the  young  people,  by  making  religion  and  its  sur- 
roundings as  attractive  as  possible.     You  wanted  to  reflect 


230  FIFTY  TEj±ES  AND  BEYOND. 

honor  upon  your  denomination.  You  sought  to  keep  pace 
with  this  advancing  age.  If  there  be  failure  at  all,  it  has 
been  a  lack  of  what  our  Saviour  calls  "a  single  eye."  This 
pure  aim  was  above  everything  else — to  honor  God.  These 
motives  are  good,  but  their  place  is  to  honor  God.  All 
these  are  good,  but  nothing  can  be  a  substitute  for  a  lack 
of  earnest  piety.  The  religion  that  shines  through  the 
medium  of  a  holy  life,  permeates,  sanctifies,  and  throws  its 
influence  over  all  else,  so  it  will  accomplish  the  ends  you 
had  in  view  in  all  you  have  done.  Not  fine  churches 
alone,  nor  large,  popular  Sunday-schools,  nor  great  preach- 
ers, can  do  the  work  of  saving.  After  all  that  has  been 
done  in  the  way  referred  to,  I  am  told  the  disposition  to 
attend  church  is  decreasing ;  our  young  people  are  becom- 
ing skeptical  in  many  of  our  Sunday-schools.  We  have  all 
we  need  of  outward  means.  We  need  now,  purity,  honesty  ; 
a  religion  that  will  make  all  its  subjects  reliable  in  the 
highest  sense.  We  want  a  religion  that  will  live  and 
shine  in  all  business  circles,  in  all  social  walks  of  life,  as 
well  as  in  the  Church ;  a  religion  that  will  make  a  man  as 
honest  in  his  politics,  and  as  sincere  a  Christian  as  he  is  at 
the  table  of  the  Lord's  Supper. 

We  have  too  many  revivals  like  shaving  fires.  Now,  we 
want  revivals  like  a  fire  of  anthracite  coal,  that  will  warm, 
and  shine,  and  burn  night  and  day.  You  who  have  spent 
sleepless  nights  over  your  church  debts,  paid  your  monej^, 
and  then,  after  all,  found  yourselves  so  nearly  defeated  that 
financial  salvation  was  doubtful,  try  the  power  of  a  holy 
life,  a  flaming  zeal,  a  love  for  God,  so  intense  that  ycv 


AN  ADDRESS  TO  CHRISTIANS.         231 

heart  and  flesh  will  cry  out  for  the  living  God.  Crowd 
His  Temple  at  all  your  social  meetings,  and  on  all  occasions. 
Let  such  a  spirit  become  general,  and  abide,  and  live, 
bringing  its  fruits  of  righteousness  ;  then  you  will  be  satis- 
fied, and  the  peace  of  God  will  keep  your  heart. 

I  may  say,  of  those  whom  I  address:  Some  of  you  have 
nearly  finished  your  course.  You  have  kept  the  faith. 
You  can  now^  do  but  little  else  than  shine.  "Who  can  tell 
the  power  and  usefulness  of  a  cheerful,  happy  old  age? 
Bright  it  may  be,  by  the  test  of  three-score  years  !  Loved 
and  honored  for  the  long  and  faithful  services  rendered,  the 
heart  full  of  love  to  God,  and  a  longing  desire  to  be  with 
Ilim,  and  go  out  no  more ;  he  stands  and  smiles,  and 
waits,  until  it  shall  be  said,  "Well  done  good  and  faithful 
servant,  enter  thou  into  the  joys  of  thy  Lord."  All  of 
you,  my  brethren,  have  passed  the  meridian  of  life.  We 
all  need  to  put  everything  in  order,  for  we  shall  die.  Let 
us  correct  our  mistakes,  and  repair  our  breaches.  If,  in  a 
review  of  the  past,  we  see  wasted  time  and  neglected 
opportunities,  let  the  life  we  live  for  the  few  months,  or 
years  to  come,  be  such,  that  no  one  can  doubt  our  profes- 
sion of  faith  as  a  disciple  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  We 
can  do  no  better  for  ourselves  than  to  begin  now  a  life  of  un- 
reserved devotion  to  the  best  interests  of  our  present  and 
eternal  good,  and  the  good  of  all  over  whom  we  exert  any 
influence,  great  or  small,  so  "an  abundant  entrance  shall 
be  administered  unto  us  in  the  everlasting  kingdom  of 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  ^ 


A   LETTER  ADDRESSED  TO  UNCONVERTED 
PERSONS,  WHO  ARE  FIFTY  OR  MORE. 

Kev.  Z.  Paddock,  D.D.* 


IIEEE-SCORE  years  and  ten"  have,  for  a 
long  time,  been  supposed  to  form  the  ordi- 
nary limit  of  human  life.  The  words 
quoted  occur  in  the  nineteenth  Psalm,  the 
title  to  which  attributes  the  authorship  to  Moses,  the  Jew- 
ish law-giver.  If  it  is  his  composition — and  we  probably 
have  no  reason  to  call  it  in  question — the  Psalm  dates  back 
to  a  period  in  the  history  of  the  race  much  earlier  than  the 
time  of  David.  At  a  still  earlier  day  than  even  the  time 
of  Moses,  for  wise  and  beneficent  reasons,  men  lived  much 
longer  than  they  did  afterward.  Several  of  the  first  patri- 
archs counted  their  years  by  centuries.  Precisely  at  what 
time  the  curtailment  of  human  life  began,  cannot  now  be 
determined ;  but  from  incidental  allusions  in  the  sacred 
text,  it  would  seem  probable  that,  so  tar  back  as  nearly 
two-thirds  of  the  way  to  the  time  when  "man  became  a 
li\nng  soul,"  his  life  had  even  then  been  shortened  to 
seventy  years  ;  and  has  so  remained  ever  since. 

The   persons  then  to  whom  these  words  are  specially 


*  Since  writiug  this  letter,  Dr.  Paddock  has  passed  from  labor  to  rest. 

232 


TO  UNCONVERTED  PERSONS.  233 

addressed,  are  supposed  to  luive  passed  througli  iive- 
seventlis  of  the  time  allotted  to  them  on  earth.  Haviiio: 
lived  fifty  years,  they  have  now  only  twenty  remaining. 
They  may  live  longer,  and  they  may  not  live  so  long  ; 
though  our  present  appeal  takes  it  for  granted  that  a  score 
of  probationary  years  may  still  be  their  possible  if  not 
])robable  inheritance. 

And  now,  to  see  how  the  residue  of  their  days  should  be 
employed,  it  may  be  well  for  them  to  pause  and  look  back. 
As  moral  and  accountable  beings,  it  was,  beyond  all  ques- 
tion, their  duty  to  devote  to  their  Maker,  if  not  the  \ery 
buds  of  being,  at  least  the  earliest  blossoms  of  their  open- 
ing intelligence.  God  said  to  them  then,  just  wliat  he  has 
been  saying  to  them  ever  since,  "  My  son,  give  me  thy 
heart."  But  even  to  this  tender  and  eminently  reason- 
able requisition,  they  have  either  turned  a  deaf  ear,  or 
listened  but  fitfully,  and  in  a  way  adapted  to  produce  no 
saving  result.  In  sickness  they  may  have  sought  the 
Lord,  but  in  health  they  have  forsaken  him.  Their  good- 
ness, if  they  have  shown  any,  has,  like  that  of  Ephraim 
and  Judah,  been  as  evanescent  as  the  morning  cloud  and 
early  dew.  And  what  an  amount  of  guilt  must  be  the 
consequence  of  their  protracted,  nay,  their  persistent  course 
of  rebellion  against  the  God  of  love. 

And  then,  how  much  these  people  have  lost  of  personal 
enjoyment.  These  many  long  years  they  have  been  utter 
strangers  to  "the  soul's  calm  sunshine  and  the  heartfelt 
joy  "  experienced  by  every  true  follower  of  the  Saviour. 
They   i^ave   had   atflictions   like  other   people ;  aliiictions 


234  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

personal,  domestic,  circumstantial.  But  in  the  time  of 
trouble,  they  have  had  no  God  to  go  to,  and  have  run 
blindly  to  their  own  broken  cisterns,  which  bitter  expe- 
rience should  have  convinced  them,  years  since,  can  hold 
no  water.  The  sport  of  conflicting  currents,  they  have 
been  like  the  troubled  sea,  which  cannot  rest,  whose  waters 
cast  up  mire  and  dirt. 

Kor  is  this  all.  By  declining  to  live  a  life  of  piety,  they 
have  Jost,  to  a  painful  extent,  the  privilege  of  doing  good. 
They  may  have  been  very  just  and  very  kind  to  their  fel- 
low-men, and  in  this  regard  deserve  well  of  the  world. 
But  they  might  have  been,  should  have  been,  an  incompar- 
ably greater  blessing  to  this  same  world.  Their  moral 
influence  might  have  been  diflfused  upon  an  indefinite  scale 
— it  might  have  gone  to  the  ends  of  the  earth.  Indeed,  so 
far  as  other  moral  beings  are  concerned,  it  has  had,  and 
probably  can  have,  no  limits.  Certainly  they  might  have 
been  a  blessing  to  'those  near  them — their  children,  their 
companions,  their  neiglibors.  But,  neglecting  their  own 
souls,  how  could  they  do  good  to  the  souls  of  others  ?  Liv- 
ing without  God  and  without  hope  themselves,  it  nmst  have 
been  impossible  for  them  purposely  to  lead  others  to  Christ. 
They  may  not  have  intended  to  obstruct  the  way  of  their 
families  and  friends,  but  they  have  obstructed  it.  Encour- 
aged by  their  example,  those  who  should  have  been  led  by 
them  in  paths  of  righteousness,  have  gone  almost  fearlessly 
in  the  way  of  transgression.  Nay,  very  possibly,  indeed, 
have  already  gone  where  hope  never  comes  that  comes  to 
all  this  side  the  grave,  and  will  have  ^ood   reason  in  the 


TO  UNCONVERTED  PERSONS.  235 

last  day  to  charge  their  hopeless  ruin,  in  part  at  least,  upon 
those  who  should  have  led  them  in  the  way  to  heaven 

And  now,  dear  friends,  let  me  appeal  to  your  sober 
judgment.  Is  it  not  high  time  that  at  once  you  reverse 
your  course  of  action  ?  As  so  much  precious  time  has 
already  been  wasted,  can  it  be  wise  to  waste  any  more  ? 
Should  you  not  7iow,  without  any  further  delay,  turn  your 
feet  to  the  Divine  testimonies  ?  Consider  how  much  you 
have  already  taxed  the  Divine  forbearance.  Is  it  not  won- 
derful that  He  should  have  tlius  long  borne  with  you  ? 
But  the  patience  of  God  will  not  last  forever.  There  is  a 
day  coming  in  which  it  will  give  place  to  wrath,  and  that 
wrath  will  be  greatly  aggravated  by  the  patience  that  has 
preceded  it.  To  delay  any  longer,  therefore,  may  be  not 
only  to  jeopard  your  all,  but  greatly  to  enhance  your  ulti- 
mate condemnation.  Your  only  safety  is  in  the  immediate 
acceptance  of  a  proffered  salvation.  And  remember,  God 
has  spared  you  on  purpose  to  save  you.  Such  has  been 
His  gracious  design  in  keeping  you  in  a  probationary  state 
these  fifty  years  or  more. 

It  is  true,  that  abused  patience  may  aggravate  our  miser- 
able doom  ;  but  this  is  only  incidental  to  God's  plans  and 
purposes.  His  long  forbearing  goodness  is  designed  and 
calculated  to  lead  us  to  repentance;  but  by  impenitence 
and  unbelief,  we  nuiy  defeat  this  gracious  purpose,  and 
force  destruction  from  His  reluctant  hand.  And  how  many 
there  are  who  are  acting  a  part  that  must,  in  the  very 
nature  of  things,  lead  to  just  this  disastrous  issue.  They 
\\y9   «)n,    day   after   day,    week   after  week,    month   after 


236  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

month,  and  jear  after  year,  until  they  come  to  consider 
life  and  all  its  advantages  as  mere  matters  of  course. 
Indeed,  some  seem  to  act  just  as  if  they  really  thought 
Divine  justice  would  be  in  their  debt,  should  they  noi  be 
allowed  to  live  long  enough  to  count,  at  least,  their  three- 
score years  and  ten.  But,  alas,  how  often  are  we  com- 
pelled to  witness  the  abrupt  termination  of  all  such 
schemes  and  imaginary  prospects. 

Let  us  ask  those,  for  whose  special  sake  we  now  write,  to 
look  back  again  to  the  days  of  their  childhood  and  youth. 
How  many  who  were  then  their  companions  in  folly  have 
been  summoned  .away !  And  where  are  they  now?  We 
dare  not,  can  not  answer  the  question.  But  we  know  where 
you  are,  and  feel  more  comfort  than  you  will  be  likely  to 
imagine,  that  we  can  still  address  you  as  prisoners  of  hope. 
But  you  must  know  your  sun  passed  its  meridian  some 
time  since,  and  is  now  rapidly  sinking  in  the  vale  of  years. 
Do  you  not  see  the  shades  of  evening  gradually  gathering 
around  you  ?  You  have  but  a  little  time  more  to  work  for 
God,  for  humanity,  and  especially  for  your  own  souls. 
Every  moment  now  seems  to  connect  itself  almost  directly 
with  the  destinies  of  the  unseen  world.  Another  slighted 
opportunity  may  seal  your  final  doom,  and  then  you  will 
be  left  to  exclaim  with  the  despairing  Jews,  "The  harvest 
is  past,  the  summer  is  ended,  and  we  are  not  saved!" 

But  then,  apart  from  your  personal  salvation,  and  late  as 
it  is  in  the  afternoon  of  life,  you  still  have  a  great  work  to 
do  before  the  sun  of  life  goes  down.  Your  children,  and 
other   relatives    are,    perchance,    yet   unsaved,    and    may 


TO  UNCONVERTED  PERSONS.  237 

remain  so,  witliout  that  influence  which  you  alone  can 
bring  to  bear  upon  tlieni.  It  is  not  unreasonable  to  sup- 
pose that  they  would  have  repented,  perhaps,  long  since, 
had  you  set  them  the  riglit  example.  They  have  said  to 
themselves,  if  the  religion  of  the  Cross  be  what  it  pro- 
fesses to  be,  why  have  not  those  who  are  older  and  wiser 
than  we,  become  its  patrons  ?  If  reasoning  like  this  has 
not  been  the  sole  cause  of  their  continued  impenitence,  the 
strong  presumption  is,  that  it  has  had  much  to  do  with  it. 
It  may,  indeed,  have  been  the  very  factor  that  has  deter- 
mined their  unhappy  conclusion.  If  so,  how  important 
that  you  hasten  to  remove  this  stumbling-block.  Can  you 
reconcile  yourself  to  the  thought  of  being  accessory  to  their 
final  impenitence  and  consequent  ruin  ?  To  avoid  such  a 
fearful  res?-  •■"•"'•'-"  -ou  should,  like  the  inspired  Psalm- 
ist, "make  haste,  ana  delay  not  to  keep  the  command- 
ments "  of  God.  By  doing  so,  you  may  save  both  your- 
self and  those  who  are  more  or  less  controlled  by  your 
example.  And  O,  what  a  motive  is  this  to  a  life  of  piety 
during  your  few^  remaining  years.  And  how  prompt 
should  you  be  to  govern  yourselves  by  it.  St.  Paul's 
words,  "  redeeming  the  time,  because  the  days  are  evil,'' 
can  scarcely  have  been  any  more  applicable  to  the  Ephe- 
sians  than  they  are  to  you.  To  redeem  time  absolutely,  is 
impossible.  Once  gone,  it  is  gone  irrecoverably.  The 
meaning  doubtless  is,  doubly  tax  your  passing  moments. 
Get  more  out  of  each  one  of  them  than  would  seem  to  be 
its  intrinsic  value.  Make  it  tell  to  the  utmost  on  your  own 
immortal  destiuifis-  and  the  destinies  of  those  around  you. 


238  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

If  your  sun  has  already  passed  its  meridian,  or  gone  even 
further  in  the  moral  heavens,  you  have  still  a  whole  day's 
work  to  perform.  And  how  else  can  you  do  it,  but  by 
doubling  your  diligence,  as  well  as  laying  out  every  particle 
of  your  strength?  O,  "work  while  the  day  lasts,  for  the 
night  cometh  when  no  man  can  work." 

He  who  now  addresses  you,  has  gone  a  decade  beyond 
the  ordinary  limit  of  human  life,  and  though  for  more  than 
sixty  years  he  has  been  toiling  in  the  Master's  vineyard, 
he  is  abashed  in  view  of  the  little  he  has  done.  He 
earnestly  invites  you  now  to  join  him  in  deep  humiliation 
and  unreserved  consecration  to  God.  From  this  hour,  let 
us  be  wholly  His.  Doing  our  whole  duty,  and  trusting  im- 
plicitly in  the  great  atonement,  we  have  nothing  to  fear. 
We  shall  not  only  be  tranquil  and  happy  during  the 
remainder  of  life's  journey,  but  shall  find  death  a  van- 
quished foe.  O,  how  sweet  it  will  be,  if,  as  we  approach 
the  final  close,  we  can  say  with  a  good  man  of  old  :  "I 
have  fought  a  good  fight,  I  have  finished  my  course,  I 
have  kept  the  faith  :  henceforth,  there  is  laid  up  for  me  a 
crown  of  righteousness."  To  die  in  peace,  and  go  home  to 
heaven,  will  a  thousand  times  more  than  counterbalance 
any  little  sacrifice  we  may  have  made  in  becoming  Christ- 
ians. So  thought  St.  Paul  :  "  For  I  reckon  that  the  suf- 
fering of  this  present  time,  are  not  worthy  to  be  compared 
with  the  glory  that  shall  be  revealed  in  us." 


CHARACTERISTICS  WHICH  ADORN  OLD  AGE. 

Key.  W.  X.  IS^inde,  D.D. 

Pbesedent  of  Gabhett  Biblical  iNgxixuTK. 


E  RAEELY  hear  old  age  referred  to  as  beau- 
tiful. We  speak  of  childhood  as  beautiful. 
A  grace  still  more  attractive  is  associated  in 
our  minds  with  joutli.  Even  ripened  man- 
hood and  womanhood  have  superior  charms ;  but  we 
gloomily  anticipate  age  as  the  period  of  mental  degeneracy 
and  physical  decay.  The  freshness  of  life  wasted  ;  the 
bloom  gone  from  the  cheek ;  the  light  from  the  eye ;  the 
vigor  from  the  step.  Patient,  quenchless  love  may  retain 
its  respect,  and  still  perform  the  offices  of  kindness ;  it 
may  even  discern  a  spiritual  beauty  back  of  the  furrowed 
cheek  and  lustreless  eye;  yet,  in  the  common  estimation,  old 
people  are  a  burden  to  themselves,  and,  however  nmch  the 
faithful  heart  may  revolt  at  confessing  it,  a  burden  to  their 
friends.  But  is  this  estimate  correct  ?  On  the  contrary  we 
are  convinced  it  is  very  far  from  true.  Undoubtedly  there 
are  instances  where  old  age  is  not  only  uninteresting  but  posi- 
tively repulsive.  There  is  neither  outward  comeliness  nor 
inward  grace.  The  unhappy  subjects  have  lost  all  relish 
for  life.     Existence   has   g-rown    to  be  a   burden  moodilv 


MO  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

borne,  and  vet  io  often  convulsiv^ely  clung  to  from  spectral 
fears  of  the  dying  hour.  Such  an  old  age — impatient, 
exacting,  unloving  and  unlovely — exhales  no  fragrance  and 
exhibits  no  bloom.  It  is  a  sapless  trunk,  which  spreads  no 
grateful  foliage  and  bears  no  luscious  fruit.  But  such  is 
by  no  means  the  universal  experience.  Innumerable  are 
the  instances  where  the  evening  of  life  exhibits  a  richer 
radiance  than  even  its  purpling  morn — its  declining  sun 
suffusing  the  western  sky  with  an  almost  supernal  glow. 
Recurring  to  such  instances,  it  is  no  extravagance  to  speak 
of  old  age  as  beautiful.  It  may  be  so  richly  adorned 
with  rarest  virtues  as  to  prove  surpassingly  attractive.  We 
know  how  the  picture  of  home  life  is  heightened  in  interest 
by  the  variety  and  even  contrast  of  elements  which  it  pre- 
sents. We  should  certainly  miss  from  it  the  face  of  blithe- 
some childhood,  but  with  no  less  regret  the  snowy  locks  of 
benignant  age.  Many  a  household  is  blessed  with  the 
lingering  presence  of  an  aged  inmate  who  proves  its  very 
center  of  attraction  and  happy  influence — and  when  that 
revered  form  is  missed,  at  length,  from  the  familiar  place, 
and  the  arm-chair  is  vacant,  there  is  the  uprising  of  a  sor- 
row as  profound  and  real  as  sore  bereavement  can  evt  r 
bring.  But  a  beautiful  old  age  is  not  adventitious.  It  is 
the  outshining  of  a  beautiful  character.  It  springs  from 
the  harmonious  assemblage  of  lovely  traits — traits  which 
are  due  to  the  patient,  wholesome  discipline  of  a  lifetime. 
Those  who  are  younger  can  not  give  too  careful  considera- 
tion to  this  fact.  We  shall  all  reach  old  age  sometime,  if 
God  spares  us.     The  frosts  of  its  stern  winter  will  invest 


ADORNMENTS  OF  OLD  AGE.  241 

us  sooner  or  later.  But  thev  need  not  uuencli  the  srenial 
vvarnitli  within.  Nor  need  they  rob  tlie  outward  life  of 
its  bloom  and  sweetness.  A  pure  joutli,  and  a  manly 
manhood,  will  conduce  to  a  refulgent  old  age.  Let  us  refer 
to  some  of  its  comely  traits. 

1.  There  is  something  highly  impressive  in  the  venera- 
ble appearance  and  corresponding  sober  manners  of  elderly 
men  and  women.  We  can  scarcely  characterize  these 
otherwise  than  as  beautiful.  The  silver  hair,  indicative  of 
life's  lengthened  journey ;  the  mild  glance,  gleaming  no 
longer  with  the  fires  of  energy  or  passion,  but  mirroring 
a  heart  brimming  with  affection's  treasures  ;  tones  soft  and 
tremulous  with  the  pathos  of  a  thousand  tender  memories  ; 
and  a  sweet  unruffled  sedateness,  which  offers  a  happy 
counterpoise  to  the  rush  and  turmoil  of  our  excited  mod- 
ern life — what  could  be  more  thoroughly  engaging  and 
attractive.  What  an  asylum  of  peace — what  a  very  haven 
of  repose,  is  the  quiet  but  cheery  room  allotted  in  the 
mansion  to  revered  age.  It  cannot  be  a  sechided  cloister. 
It  is  too  bright  and  inviting  for  that.  Tliere  is  a  presence 
'there  which  unconsciously  allures  all  hearts.  Playful 
childhood  seeks  entrance  whenever  its  door  is  ajar,  and 
tired  manhood  will  often  surcease  its  cares  within  its  quiet- 
ing portal.  Dearer  than  the  rarest  charms  of  face  and 
form,  of  wit  aiid  all  envied  worldly  accomplishments,  is 
that  fatherliness  and  motherliness  which  breathe  their  ben- 
ediction upon  us  from  the  sequestered  nooks  of  life.  There 
is  really  such  a  thing  as  growing  old  gracefully.  There  is 
no  clearer  evidence  of  unabated  mental  vigor — of  the  pos- 


iU2         FIFTY  TEAR^  and  BEYOND, 

session  of  sterling  "round-about  sense" — than  the  disposi- 
tion promptly  to  recognize  and  cheerfully  to  accept  the 
inevitable  changes  of  life.  And  not  only  this,  but  with 
ready  tact  to  adapt  one's  self  to  them.  Nothing  is  more 
offensive  to  a  correct  taste  than  the  disguises  so  often 
assumed  to  conceal  the  sure  advances  of  old  age.  In  the 
divine  economy  every  period  of  life  has  its  natural  adorn- 
ments. There  is  a  grace  which  is  peculiar  to  the  aged, — • 
a  grace  than  which  earth  can  scarcely  claim  a  fairer.  It 
will  never  be  ours,  until  our  steps  falter  under  the  weight  ot 
added  years,  and  the  winsome  helplessness  of  our  second 
childhood  evokes  toward  us  the  same  tenderness  which 
gives  to  the  first  childhood  so  hallowed  a  place  in  human 
affections.  Let  it  not  sadden  us  then  to  find  that  the  silver 
threads  are  multiplying  over  the  temples;  that  the  voice  is 
not  quite  so  round  and  assured  in  its  tones  as  once  it  was; 
that  a  strange  blur  comes  occasionally  over  the  page  as  we 
read,  and  that  the  step  is  losing  somewhat  of  its  elastic 
vigor.  These  are  tlie  unmistakable  marks — shall  we  say 
it — of  approaching  decrepitude.  And  yet  there  may 
remain  for  us  many  years  of  enjoyable,  sei-viceable  life ; 
years  crowned  with  the  peculiar  gloi-y  <;f  venerable  age. 

2.  There  is  a  rare  excellence,  whicli  is  also  the  ])roperty 
,f  those  who  are  advanced  in  3'ears,  which  we  may  distin- 
guish as  MELLOWNESS — tlic  autumual  ripeness  of  a  matured 
character.  Some  persons  mature  much  earlier  than  others. 
We  have  known  comparatively  young  people,  who  seemed 
patterns  of  propriety.  They  were  as  dignified  and  consist- 
ent as  sextenarians.     Yet  such  cases  are  exceptional.    That 


ADORNMENTS  OF  OLD  AGE.  243 

deliglitful  poise  und  self-control— that  luippy  equilibrium  of 
mind,  which  the  friction  of  life  can  not  easily  disturb,  comes 
with  the  sobered  feelings  of  years.  It  is  usually  the  fruit 
of  much  severe  but  wholesome  discipline.  It  is  esteemed 
a  rare  grace  wherever  found.  We  admire  and  covet  it,  yet 
find  it  so  difficult  to  attain.  It  is  this  dignity  of  demeanor 
— this  ripened  manliness  of  feeling  and  conduct,  which 
makes  age  venerable.  Associated  with  this,  is  the  lustre  of 
tried  virtues — admirable  traits,  which  have  been  so  often 
exhibited,  and  on  such  a  variety  of  occasions,  that  we 
esteem  them  marked  and  permanent  characteristics.  Our 
aged  friends  are  endeared  to  us,  not  by  one  or  two  signal 
services,  but  by  a  multitude  of  grateful  memories.  The 
fugitive  years  have  robbed  the  mortal  frame  of  its  beauty, 
and  perhaps  impaired  in  some  measure  the  mind's  vigor, 
but  they  could  not  efface  the  record  of  a  generous  life. 
And  that  record  sheds  an  unsullied  glory  upon  life's 
decline.  Wrinkled  hands  are  always  beautiful,  if  they  have 
ministered  to  us  unspeakable  kindnesses  through  the 
changeful  years;  and  the  breaking  voice  has  for  our  ear 
enchanting  music,  if  in  childhood  and  manhood  its  familiar 
tones  solaced  our  sadness,  and  kindled  our  noblest  aspira- 
tions. 

3.  But  old  age  is  not  only  endeared  by  fragrant  mem- 
ories— but  by  its  present  worth  and  richness  as  well.  I 
speak  of  an  ideal  old  age — the  closing  stage  of  a  life  that 
has  been  fruitful,  both  of  outward  service  and  inward 
culture ;  which  has  been  marked  by  a  steady  and  healthful 
growth.     A  life  vvhich  has  courted  all  refining  associations, 


244  FIFTY  YEAB8  AND  BEYOND. 

and  assimilated  all  enriching  truth — cautiously  selective  in 
its  affinities — gathering  out  of  its  manifold  experiences, 
enduring  treasures  of  costliest  wisdom.  Hap}3ilj,  this  con- 
ception is  not  wanting  in  living  examples.  What  inner 
wealth  such  souls  possess.  What  boundless  resources,  to 
eate  them  in  the  retirement  of  age,  and  amid  the  paucity  of 
outward  novelties.  And  this  ripeness  of  understanding — • 
these  rich  hoardings  of  wisdom,  afford  their  possessor  a 
unique  and  most  enviable  capability  of  serving  others. 
Then*  theories  of  life  are  not  mere  speculations — -they  are 
tested  knowledge.  They  have  learned  mncli  through  the 
march  of  three-score  years — much  which  we  shall  never 
know  as  they  know,  till  we  also  reach  that  nearing  mile- 
stone of  life. 

"The  sunset  of  age 

Brings  us  mystical  lore." 

It  is  this  multifarious  mental  affluence  which  makes  the 
society  of  elderly  people  often  so  agreeable  and  even  fas- 
cinating. Thoughtful  souls,  wearied  of  the  frivolities  and 
vanities  of  gayer  circles,  turn  with  delight  to  the  sober, 
edifying  converse  of  men  and  women  who  have  lived  to 
purpose,  and  whose  companionship  is,  in  a  superior  sense, 
both  entertaining  and  stimulating.  We  say  entertamlng. 
The  talk  of  intelligent  old  people  is  uniformly  rich  in 
reminiscences.  And  these  are  often  of  thrilling  interest. 
Even  where  they  relate  to  matters  of  local  or  family  inter- 
est, they  are  attractive  to  those  immediately  concerned, 
and  often  from  their  inferences  to  wider  circles.  We  some- 
times complain  that  the  company  of  our  aged  friends  is  a 


ADORNMENTS  OF  OLD  AGE.  245 

little  tedious — that  our  constrained  attention  to  the  oft- 
repeated  tale,  is  a  tax  upon  the  habitual  deference  we  pay 
to  honored  age,  yet  we  readily  confess  that  we  have  known 
few  happier  hours  than  those  spent  in  the  society  of  intel- 
ligent people,  whose  expei-ience  of  life  has  been  a  varied 
and  extensive  one,  and  who  delight  to  convey  to  other 
minds,  with  graphic  delineation,  the  pictorial  impressions  of 
their  own. 

4.  Some,  who  are  far  along  in  life's  pilgrimage,  have 
never  lost  their  youthful  freshness  of  feeling  and  eager 
interest  in  current  events.  They  keep  step  with  the  march 
of  Time,  and  are  always  in  sympathy  with  the  better  spirit 
of  the  New.  And  this  trait  is  the  more  charming  because 
of  its  rarity.  The  natural  tendency,  as  we  grow  old,  is  to 
seek  seclusion — to  withdraw  more  and  more  within  our- 
selves. It  will  not  be  strange  if  we  become  morose  and 
even  acrid,  lamenting  what  seems  to  us  a  degeneracy  of 
manners  ;  complaining  of  our  isolation  even  while  we  seek 
it,  and  thus  filling  our  declining  years  with  needless  sor- 
rows. Old  age  has  its  inevitable  and  substantial  trials, 
which  are  sufficiently  hard  to  bear.  IIow  unwise  to 
separate  us  from  those  sweet  amenities  which  are  marvel- 
ously  fitted  to  solace  and  relieve.  Why  need  the  heart 
ever  grow  old:  ''While  the  outward  man  perisheth,  tho 
inward  man  is  renewed  day  by  day."  There  is  a  wonder- 
ful preserving  power  in  the  companionship  of  the  young. 
It  is  a  most  unhappy  circumstance,  that  there  exists  so 
often  a  gulf  of  incompatability  between  the  youthful  and 
the  aged.      They  both  need    the   reciprocal   influence   of 


246  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

mutual  friendsliip.  Happy,  if  we  grow  old  without  a  sap- 
ping of  the  rich  sources  of  our  youthful  enthusiasm — main- 
taining a  vigorous  relish  for  life  even  amid  growing  physi- 
cal feebleness,  attracting  the  young  to  us  by  a  geniality 
that  can  share  their  innocent  recreations,  and  sympathize 
with  their  most  exhilerating  hopes — ever  taking  a  cheerful 
outlook  upon  life,  and  refusing  to  be  counted  out  of  its 
stirring  actualities.  But  all  this  requires  a  mind  of  rare 
vigor — a  will  of  unusual  sturdiness.  Or  rather,  we  should 
say,  it  demands  a  character  whose  solid  worth  represents 
long  years  of  faithful  culture.  Our  efforts  at  self-culture 
bear  their  richest  fruitage  in  old  age.  In  fact,  our  cher- 
ished and  habitual  moods  appear  in  their  most  graceful  or 
graceless  forms  in  life's  decline.  A  sordid  nature  will  not 
fructify  at  the  last  into  unwonted  fragrance  and  bloom. 
It  will  rather  wither  into  a  more  cheerless  and  repulsive 
death.  And  so  the  radiance  of  an  unselfish  and  unsullied 
life  will  grow  more  serenely  bright  as  its  history  expands. 
It  is  for  us  to  say,  whether  our  own  shall  be  a  happy  or  a 
sombre  old  age. 

5.  This  freshness  of  feeling,  which  is  so  graceful  a 
characteristic  of  many  elderly  people,  is  usually  joined  with 
a  comely  ambition  to  retain  to  the  last  a  healthy  activity. 
I  think  it  is  Chalmers  who  beautifully  refers  to  old  age,  as 
the  Sabbath  period  of  life  ;  and  no  doubt  this  is  true  of 
extreme  old  age,  whose  infirmities  forbid  any  serious  exer- 
tion. Nothing  remains  then,  but  a  restful  waiting  for  the 
coveted  transition  to  a  fairer  clime.  But  in  our  own  refer- 
ences to  old  age,  we  have  in  mind  not  a  career  which  has 


ADORNMENTS  OF  OLD  AGE.  247 

passed  into  utter  decrepitude — which  is  literally  exhausted, 
but  to  one  which  has  a  reasonable  expectation  of  continu- 
ance, perhaps  for  many  years.  We  call  people  old  who 
have  reached  their  sixtieth  birthday,  yet  that  day  finds 
many  a  one  in  his  highest  vigor,  both  of  body  and  mind. 
Never  was  he  more  buoyant,  ambitious  and  active.  This 
is  noble  and  ennobling.  Frail  as  are  the  ends  of  life,  it  is 
a  healthy  temper  which  anticipates  its  continuance  to  ex- 
treme age,  and  which  thereupon  plans  largely,  and  works 
in  cheerful  expectation  of  proportionate  results.  Nothing 
more  clearly  betokens  a  serene  religious  faith,  than  such  a 
sturdy  relia7ice.  It  is  a  most  laudable  disposition  which 
seeks  to  crowd  the  fleeting  years  of  our  brief  mortal  life 
with  beneficent  work — which,  as  time  wears  on,  refuses  to 
think  of  the  end  as  rapidly  approaching,  but  toils  with  un- 
abated vigor — entering  with  undiminished  relish  into  its 
accustomed  activities,  till  at  length  the  absolute  incapacity 
for  labor  puts  a  period  to  its  protracted  service. 

Let  us  bear  in  mind  that  "activity  is  life."  If  we  have 
reached  a  stage  where  failing  strength  forbids  our  full  em- 
ployment, we  may  be  partially  busied.  Ours  may  still  be 
a  serviceable  life.  Many  elderly  persons,  whose  past  use- 
fulness might  well  purchase  them  ease  for  their  remaining 
years,  are  as  eager  as  ever  to  engage  in  beneficent  work. 
They  insist  that  they  can  only  be  happy  as  they  are  thus 
employed.  They  take  a  positive  delight  in  wholesome 
activities.  If  they  have  no  family  cares  of  their  own,  they 
are  eager  to  relieve  those  who  have.  If  they  are  blessed 
with  worldly  means  and  ample  leifjure,  they  employ  both 


24S  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 


in  relieving  distress,  and  ministering  to  the  sick,  the  for- 
lorn, and  the  sorrowing.  In  manifold  ways  may  we  "still 
bring  forth  fruit  in  old  age."  Their  very  presence  is  a 
benediction  and  "their  daily  life  an  unspoken  prayer;'' 
Earth  has  no  richer  benisons  than  those  which  grateful 
hearts  breathe  upon  their  honored  heads.  And  when  they 
disappear  from  the  homes  of  the  living,  many  a  grief-laden 
heart  feels  that  it  has  lost  a  friend.  The  more  intimate 
family  circle  is  bereft.  The  helping  hand  has  been  with- 
drawn. The  responsive  eye  is  closed.  The  voice  so  sweet 
to  soothe,  so  wise  to  counsel,  is  forever  stilled.  The  breast 
that  pillowed  the  head  of  fretful  childhood,  is  beneath  the 
sod.  Such  a  loss  is  sincerely  mourned.  It  is  felt  to  be 
irreparable.  Yet  the  fragrant  memory  will  remain,  making 
our  cares  lighter  and  our  trials  easier  to  be  borne,  and  life 
in  its  nobler  aspects  seem  to  us  divinely  beautiful. 

6.  Wholesome  personal  habits,  especially  simplicity 
and  neatness  of  attire,  are  among  the  characteristics  which 
adorn  old  age.  Nothing  is  more  ridiculous  than  the 
attempt  of  old  people  to  appear  youthful  by  dressing  in 
the  height  of  fashion  and  exhibiting  manners  manifestly 
incongruous  with  their  period  of  life.  A  sober,  dignified 
demeanor,  united  to  a  cheerful  aifability,  and  apparel  such 
as  good  taste  would  suggest,  are  what  we  naturally  look 
for  in  those  whose  spirits  have  been  chastened  by  time — 
who  have  outlived,  we  might  hope,  earth's  vain  ambitions 
and  proved  the  hollo wness  of  its  empty  forms.  Habits  of 
cleanliness  and  good  order,  forni'gd  perhaps  in  early  life, 
and  sedulously  cultivated  afterwards,  will  seem  especially 


ADORNMENTS  OF  OLD  AGE.  249 


admirable  in  old  age.  We  have  known  those  in  very 
humble  circumstances,  and  with  physical  infirmities  which 
might  have  gone  far  towards  excusing  seeming  negligence, 
who  were  nevertheless  models  in  these  regards,  exhibiting 
both  in  the  care  of  their  person  and  of  their  apartments  a 
scrupulous  neatness,  which  seemed,  in  their  case,  not  only 
an  economic  excellence  but  a  moral  virtue. 

7.  Nothing,  however,  will  prove  such  an  ornament  to 
old  age  as  a  luminous,  consistent  piety.  There  is  no  beauty 
to  be  compared  with  the  beauty  of  holiness.  All  other 
graces  pale  before  this.  Crowded  with  this,  old  age  is 
always  beautiful.  There  will  be  a  light  in  the  eye  more 
refulgent  than  the  fire  of  youthful  enthusiasm,  and  a  sweet- 
ness on  the  countenance  surpassing  all  charms  of  color  and 
form.  Destitute  of  a  cheerful  and  sustaining  faith,  old 
age,  however  fortunate  its  earthly  surroundings,  and  how- 
ever varied  and  rich  its  mental  capacities,  is  scarcely  less 
than  pitiable.  We  can  see  nothing  to  admire  in  a  soul  just 
ready  to  encounter  the  grim  realities  of  an  imminent  eter- 
nity, unsustained  by  an  immortal  hope.  We  turn  away 
from  the  spectacle  with  unutterable  sadness.  A  sadness, 
too,  which  is  aggravated  by  disappointment.  That  old  age 
should  be  devout,  seems  in  the  highest  sense  appropriate. 
That  its  highest  delectation  should  be  the  marvelous  reve- 
lations of  Christian  faith,  nobly  befits  that  last  stage,  before 
the  pictures  of  hope  are  transformed  into  measureless,  over- 
whelming realities.  And  when,  in  strange  contrast  with 
this,  we  find  the  aged  clinging  to  the  vain  things  which  perish 
in  the  grasp,  and  averting  their  thoughts  from  their  nobler 


250  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

heritage,  the  incongruity  not  only  saddens  but  harrows  us. 
Happy  the  tired  traveler  who  knows  that  the  long  journey 
he  has  taken  is  not  a  bootless  one — who  firmly  believes 
that  every  measured  pace  has  brought  him  nearer  the  goal 
— that  soon  his  feet  shall  press  the  immortal  shore, 

"  Where  age  hath  no  power  o'er  the  fadeless  frame, 
Where  the  eye  is  fire,  and  the  heart  is  flame." 

Beautiful — serenely  beautiful  is  life's  decline,  when  its 
shadows  are  illumined  by  omens  of  the  coming  dawn. 
And  unspeakably  refreshing  is  the  companionship  of  the 
aged  saint.  We  seek  his  presence — we  court  his  society. 
Conversing  with  him,  we  seem  to  hear  the  voices  of  the 
blessed,  and  to  catch  glimpses  of  the  far-off  land.  And 
when  at  length  his  hour  of  release  comes,  the  natural  fear 
of  death  is  swallowed  up  in  the  fullness  of  the  triumph. 
Witnessing  his  departure  to  the  heavenly  mansions,  we 
can  only  follow  with  the  prophet's  wondering  farewell  : 
''My  father — my  father!  the  chariot  of  Israel,  and  the 
horsemen  thereof!" 


THOUGHTS    ON    IMMORTALITY. 

By  Kt.  Rev.  Samuel  Fallows,  D.D. 

Bishop  of  The  Reformed  Episcopal  Church. 


ITIIOUT  any  attempt  at  an  exhaustive  pre- 
sentation of  the  all-important  subject  of 
Immortality,  we  may  be  able  to  give,  in 
brief,  an  outline  of  the  arguments  by  which 
the  doctrine  is  supported.  Although  they  will  not  be 
arguments  amounting  to  demonstration,  they  will  afford  the 
highest  probability  to  every  thoughtful  Christian  mind, 
that  if  a  man  die,  he  shall  live  again. 

I  shall  avoid,  as  far  as  possible,  a  dry,  metaphysical 
treatment  of  the  question,  and  avail  myself  more  of  the 
logic  of  the  heart,  than  of  the  understanding. 

We  are  met  on  the  threshold  of  our  theme  with  the  fact, 
that  among  all  the  nations  of  the  earth  the  idea  of  Immor- 
tality has  been  held.  This  is  a  signal  proof  that  the  idea 
is  true.  It  does  not  affect  the  validity  of  the  position  taken, 
that  the  ideas  of  these  various  nations  were  incorrect  as 
regards  the  nature  of  the  future  state.  The  clearing  up 
of  all  doubts,  the  dispelling  of  all  mists,  depends  upon 
revelation.  The  function  of  God's  revealed  truth  is  not  to 
discover  new  and  fundamental  ideas  to  the  universal  intel- 
ligence of  man.     It  is  to  clarify  them  of  all  error  in  their 

251 


252  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

application ;  to  bring  them  out  into  fullness  and  promi- 
nence ;  to  make  them  nutritive  and  determinative  in  the 
moral  and  spiritual  life. 

While  holding  to  the  transmigration  of  the  soul,  the 
ancient  Hindoos  believed  in  its  essential  immortality.  It 
was  taught  by  them,  "  as  a  man  throweth  away  his  old  gar- 
ment and  putteth  on  new,  so  the  soul,  having  quitted  its 
old  mortal  frames,  entereth  into  others  which  are  new.  The 
weapon  divideth  it  not.  The  water  corrupteth  it  not.  The 
wind  drieth  it  not  away.  It  is  indivisible,  inconsumable, 
incorruptible." 

Herodotus  says  of  the  Egyptians:  "They  were  the  first 
of  mankind  who  had  defended  the  immortality  of  the 
soul." 

Lord  Bolingbroke,  free-thinker  though  he  was,  declares 
that  "the  doctrine  of  the  immortality  of  the  soul,  and  a 
future  state  of  rewards  and  punishments,  began  to  be 
taught  before  we  have  any  light  into  antiquity.  And  when 
we  begin  to  have  any,  we  find  it  established  that  it  was 
strongly  inculcated  from  time  immemorial."  Volney 
admits  that  all  the  earliest  nations  taught  that  the  soul 
survived  the  body,  and  was  immortal. 

It  has  been  the  belief  of  earlier  and  later  peoples.  The 
nations  of  Northern  Europe,  the  fierce,  restless  hordes  who 
forced  the  gates  of  the  Eternal  City  and  crushed  the 
Roman  power,  believed  that  the  slothful  and  cowardly,  at 
death,  went  into  dark  caves  underground,  full  of  noisome 
creatures,  and  there  they  groveled  in  endless  stench 
and  misery.     But  those  who  died  in  battle,  went  imme- 


Tit  OUGHTS  ON  IMMORTALITY.        ^53 

diately  to  the  vast  palace  of  Odin,  their  god  of  war,  where 
they  were  entertained  in  perpetual  feasts  and  mirth. 

Among  civilized  and  uncivilized  nations,  on  continents 
and  islands,  in  every  quarter  of  the  globe,  the  belief  in 
immortality  has  been  entertained.  Whence  came  the  idea? 
Some  of  the  deniers  of  the  soul's  inherent  immortality 
have  attempted  to  answer  the  question.  Philosophers  and 
statesmen,  they  allege,  "practicing  a  pious  fraud  '"  upon 
the  people,  foisted  it  upon  them.  It  was  found  necessary 
to  bring  in  the  idea  of  a  future  life,  to  hold  the  masses  in 
subjection  ;  to  secure  their  allegiance  to  the  State,  and 
uphold  the  dignity  of  philosophy.  Plato  is  represented  as 
quoting  a  Pythagorian  philosopher,  who  taught  that,  "as 
we  sometimes  cure  the  body  with  unwholesome  remedies, 
when  such  as  are  most  wholesome  have  no  effect,  so  we 
restrain  those  minds  by  false  relations  which  will  not  be 
persuaded  by  the  truth.' '  In  like  manner,  it  is  claimed,  the 
philosophers  and  statesmen  reasoned,  and  so  invented  the 
idea  of  immortality  to  compass  their  ends. 

We  have  only  one  question  to  ask.  What  philosopher, 
or  what  statesman,  invented  it  ?  When  his  name  is  ascer- 
tained, we  may  entertain  such  an  unfounded  assertion.  He 
will  be  found  closely  akin  to  the  one  who  invented  the  love 
of  the  beautiful,  the  sentiment  of  harmony,  the  love  of 
children,  the  fact  of  conscience,  and  the  idea  of  God.  If 
the  historical  argument  for  immortal  existence  were  pressed 
no  further  than  the  admitted  position  that  it  is  congenial  to 
the  universal  mind  of  man,  a  strong  pres.  mption  would 
be  created  in  favor  of  the  doctrine.     But  i^    goes  nmch 


•J.54  FIFTY  TEARS  AND  BEYOSD. 

fiirther.  and  proves  that  the  idea  of  continued  being  is 
native  to  the  human  soul.  The  consent  of  all  nati^ms,  is 
the  grandest  affirmation  possible  of  what  the  consciousness 
of  man  teaches. 

The  philosopher,  the  statesman,  and  the  priest  may  liave 
plaved  upon  the  credulitv  of  the  people,  and  held  them  fast 
in  dire  superstitious  bondage  ;  but  it  was  through  a  perver- 
sion of  the  instincts  and  principles  God  had  implanted  in 
the  veri'  constitution  of  man  himself. 

II.  I  may  adduce  the  metaphysical  and  moral  argu- 
ment. 

In  the  Kensington  Museum,  in  England,  I  saw  some  of 
the  sketchesfrom  the  master  hand  of  Turner.  Rough  and 
rude  they  were,  but  yet  such  only  as  his  hand  could  draw. 
Over  against  them  were  the  finished  pictures,  with  all  tlieir 
faithfulness  of  detail,  accuracy  of  expression,  and  maguiti- 
cence  of  execution. 

The  best  human  life  here,  with  its  marvelousness  of 
inventive  powers,  its  royal  reach  of  reason,  its  sublime 
daring  of  genius,  its  amplitude  of  affection,  its  deeds  of 
goodness,  is  but  an  imperfect  sketch ;  and  vet  a  sketch  that 
the  hand  o(  God  only  could  draw.  It  is  but  the  alphabet 
out  of  which  the  stately,  glowing,  and  immortal  epic  of  a 
Paradise  regained  shall  spring  from  a  Paradise  Lost.  It 
is  but  the  wail  of  a  new-bom  chilJ  compared  with  the 
symphonies  of  angels. 

Xo  clearer  truth  does  the  open  book  of  Nature  unfold  to 
the  wise  and  reverent  reader,  than  the  existence  of  a  plan 
in  the  develcyjment  of  the  animal  kingdom. 


TlIO UGIITS  ON  IMM ORTAtirT.        555 


Kg  St.  Peter's  or  St.  Paul's  can  more  clearly  indicate 
the  idea  of  Micliicl  Angelo  or  Sir  Christopher  Wren,  than 
\\\Q  four  <^reat  tyj)es  on  which  organic  life  is  built,  the  idea 
of  tlie  Great  Architect  of  the  universe. 

This  plan,  in  its  four-fold  manifestations,  implies  prede- 
termination, and  inv(jlves  consummation.  Every  organ, 
however  rudimentary  at  any  particular  stage  of  the  unfold- 
ing, becomes  a  function  somewhere  on  the  line  of  develop- 
ment. It  is  sure  to  be  emploj^ed  down  in  the  scale  of 
existence.  Some  animals  have  fingers,  which  are  never 
used.  They  are  given  them  by  the  Being  wh<;  unvaryingly 
adheres  to  His  plan.  They  are  there,  because  when  man. 
the  lord  and  head  of  the  kingdom,  comes  to  the  throne, 
bringing  forward  and  completing  all  the  lower  and  preced- 
ing types,  he  imist  and  does  possess  five  fingers  on  each 
hand,  of  varying  length  and  strength.  Those  rough  and 
rigid  protuberances,  in  the  structure  of  his  inferior  relations, 
prophesied  the  free,  facile  and  flexible  use  of  the  most  per- 
fect instruments  for  carrying  out  the  thought  of  the  brain 
and  the  love  of  the  heart.  If  there  be  no  immoi'tal  life,  all 
the  prophecies  of  Nature  fail — suddenly  and  \maccountably 
fail. 

In  the  splendid  make  and  mechanism  of  the  body,  com- 
pared with  which  the  most  cumiing  piece  of  man's  work- 
manship is  a  bungling  performance,  every  promise  has 
been  redeemed,  and  every  pro])hecy  fulfilled.  It  is  cor- 
related to  the  world  about  it.  Light  has  been  made  for 
the  eye,  sound  for  the  ear,  fo()d  for  the  palate.  Nay, 
in  the  very  constitution  of  the    mind,  axioms  have  been 


256  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND, 

given  to  the  reason,  truth  to  tlie  intellect,  and  beauty 
to  the  aesthetic  taste.  Still  further,  the  conscience  has 
asked  for  light  and  cleansing,  and  they  have  been  given ; 
the  soul  has  cried  out  for  God,  for  the  living  God,  and 
"  the  invisible  appeared  in  sight,  and  God  was  seen  by 
mortal  eye." 

We  have  the  instinctive  fear  of  death — the  unutterable 
dread  of  annihilation — tlie  passionate  longing  for  continued 
existence.  We  have  powers  capable  of  endless  progres- 
sion ;  faculties  which  find  no  appropriate  sphere  on  earth, 
which  are  caged  and  confined  as  the  panting  bird,  aspiring- 
after  liberty,  beats  its  breast  against  the  restraining  bars. 

We  feel^  we  know  our  kinship  with  the  skies.  This 
world  now  can  not  bound  our  intellect ;  burning  worlds  and 
burnt-out  worlds,  swinging  in  their  brilliant  and  gloomy 
orbits,  throw  up  no  barriers  against  the  swift  feet  of  our 
soaring  imaginations.  Beyond  the  uttermost  limits  of 
creation,  we  send  our  thoughts,  our  adoring  love;  beyond 
prostrate  cherubim  and  seraphim,  above  the  very  throne 
itself,  to  Him  that  sitteth  upon  the  throne,  God  over  all, 
blessed  for  evermore. 

This  light  of  intellect  to  be  quenched  in  oblivion's  waters  ! 
These  powers  to  be  stamped  out  by  annihilation  !  These 
longings  to  be  unsatisfied,  these  hopes  to  be  mocked !  O, 
what  a  superb  farce  is  this  ! 

The  God  of  Nature  is  the  father  of  the  immortal  soul. 
Tlie  brute  attains  its  ends.  Man  would  be  a  little  lower 
than, tlie  brute,  if  he  did  not  attain  his.  There  is  no  anni- 
hilation of  a  single  substance  in  Nature,  though  the  form 


THOUGHTS  ON  IMMOttTALlTY.        257 


iiiav  be  eiidles:;!}'  cliuiiged.  There  is  no  UTiniliilutioii  of 
spirit.  The  body  may  wax  and  wane.  ''  I  call  it  mine,  nut 
me."  Connected  with  it.  1  yet  know,  that  fn^m  it,  '"I 
am  distinct,  as  is  the  swimmer  from  the  flood.''  My 
thought,  emotion,  and  will  are  not  acids  and  phosphates. 
Our  essential  instincts  are  not  a  supreme  foi'gery.  Oui 
faith  in  the  God  of  Nature,  and  man,  is  not  in  vain. 

"  'Tis  the  Divinity  that  stirs  within  us, 

'Tis  heaven  itself  that  points  out  an  hereafter, 
And  intimates  eternity  to  man," 

In  the  same  line  of  thought  is  the  revelation  of  God  to 
man,  through  Jesus  Christ  oar  Lord,  who  taught  us  to  say, 
in  the  most  perfect  form  of  words,  at  the  beginning  of  his 
universal  prayer,  "Our  Father  who  art  in  heaven."  In 
that  sublime  and  comforting  teaching.  Father,  and  heaven, 
and  man  are  brought  together  in  vital  relationship. 

Edward  Everett,  in  his  just  and  glowing  eulogy  of 
Daniel  Webster,  mentions  the  following  incident :  "I  hap- 
pened one  bright  starry  night  to  be  walking  with  Daniel 
Webster,  at  a  late  hour,  from  the  Capitol  at  Washington, 
after  a  skirmishing  debate,  in  which  he  had  been  speak- 
ing at  no  great  length,  but  with  much  earnestness  and 
warmth,  on  the  subject  of  the  Constitution  as  forming  a 
united  government.  The  planet  Jupiter,  shining  with  un- 
usual brilliancy,  was  in  full  view.  He  paused,  as  we  de- 
scended Capitol  Hill,  and,  unconsciously  pursuing  the  train 
of  thought  which  he  had  been  enforcing  in  the  Senate, 
pointed  to  the  planet,  and  said  :  '  Night  unto  night  showeth 
knowledge;'  takeaway  the  independent  force,  emanating 


258  FIFTY  YEAliS  AND  BFYOKD. 

from  tlie  hand  of  the  Supreme,  which  impels  that  planet 
onward,  and  it  would  plunge  in  hideous  ruin  from  those 
skies  into  the  sun  ;  take  away  the  central  attraction  of  the 
sun,  and  the  attendant  planet  would  shoot  madly  from  its 
sphere;  urged  and  restrained  by  the  balanced  forces,  it 
wheels  its  eternal  circles  through  the  heavens."  The 
underlying  thought  in  that  majestic  mind,  was  this : 
These  several  States  must  be  bound  by  supreme  law  to 
the  one  central  government;  "broad  based  upon  the 
people's  will ;  "  not  clashing  in  endless  confusion,  but 
moving  on  in  harmony,  progressiveness,  and  light. 

But  a  still  grander  thought  does  the  illustration  illumine 
and  glorify. 

We  lift  up  our  eyes  and  our  hearts  to  that  Supreme  One 
whose  hand  "  guideth  Arcturus  with  his  sons,  bindeth 
the  sweet  influences  of  the  Pleiades,  and  looseth  the  bands 
of  Orion,"  and  it  is  the  hand  of  "  Our  Father  in  Heaven." 

There  is  the  point  of  man's  original  departure, 

"Not  in  entire  forgetfulness, 
Not  in  utter  nakedness. 
But  trailing  clouds  of  glory,  do  we  come 
From  God  who  is  our  home." 

You  never  can  think  of  the  Christian's  God  without 
thinking  of  the  Christian's  home.  You  never  can  take  that 
endearing  name  of  "  Father  "  upon  your  lips,  and  leave  out 
the  Father's  house  in  which  are  many  mansions.  The  two 
are  forever  united.  Try  to  cut  loose  from  God,  you  swing 
away  from  the  heaven  in  which  he  dwells.  Try  to  shut 
out  from  your  vision  that  heaven,  and  you  send  the  "sun 


THOUGHTS  ON  IMMORTALITY.        259 

/)i  the    soul"  under  an   eclipse.     If  there  is  a  real  God, 
there  is  a  real  heaven. 

You  can  not  sail  upon  the  ocean,  out  of  sight  of  land, 
without  calling  upon  the  heaven  and  its  orbs  of  light  to  aid  • 
3'ou.  You  must  rectify  jour  compass  and  your  course  by 
its  central  sun.  You  can  not  sail  life's  sea  without  life's 
heaven.  Your  compass  of  philosophy,  history,  political 
economy,  of  statesmanship,  and  civilization  must  have  the 
rectification  of  the  skies,  or  you  never  can  reach  the  heaven 
of  humanity's  hopes. 

Break  away  from  the  Heaven-Father,  and  you  are 
plunged  in  the  blackness  of  darkness,  and  the  horrors  of 
chaotic  ruin.  You  have  read  that  poem  on  Darkness,  by 
one  of  the  most  gifted  but  sadly  erring  writers  this  earth 
has  ever  held.     It  was 

"A  dream  which  was  not  all  a  dream. 
The  bright  sun  was  extinguished,  and  the  stars 
Did,  wander  darkling  in  the  eternal  space, 
Rayless  and  patliless,  and  the  icy  earth 
Swung  blind  and  blackening  in  the  moonless  air." 

You  know  the  rest.  The  prayer  for  light ;  the  watch-fires 
of  thrones,  and  palaces,  and  huts;  the  burning  cities,  the 
blazing  homes,  the  crackling  trunks  of  forest  fires ;  the 
crouching  of  the  freezing  multitudes  before  their  ineffect- 
ual flames;  the  looking  up  with  mad,  disquiet  awe  on  the 
dull  sky,  the  pall  of  a  past  world  ;  the  cursing,  the  gnash- 
ing of  teeth,  the  howling  of  despair  in  the  dust;  the  shriek- 
ing of  the  wild  birds  and  the  flapping  of  their  useless 
wings  ;   the  wildest  brutes  becoming  tame  and  tremulous  ; 


260  FIFTY  YFAR8  AND  BEYOND. 

the  crawling  vipers,  hissing,  but  stingless  ;  the  ghit  of  war, 
the  gorging  with  blood ;  the  death  of  love ;  the  pang  of 
famine,  the  dropping  dead;  the  last  two  who  survived  — 
•enemies,  "scraping  with  their  cold,  skeleton  hands  the 
feeble  ashes;"  the  gaze  of  each  upon  the  other;  their 
shriek,  and  death  from  mutual  hideousness  ! 

"  The  world  was  void,  the  waves  were  dead, 
The  tides  were  in  their  grave  ; 
The  winds  were  withered  in  the  stagnant  air, 
And  the  clouds  perished ;  darknesn  had  no  need  of  aid 
From  them,  she  was  the  universe !" 

Extinguish  those  greater  and  lesser  lights  of  God  and 
immortality  from  our  sky,  and  you  make  the  poet's  dream 
a  fearful  reality  on  our  earth. 

In  that  awful  winter,  which  shall  bring  icy  death  to 
man's  religious  nature,  and  to  his  instincts,  and  aspirations 
for  the  life  to  come,  all  else  that  we  hold  dear  below,  gov- 
ernment, home,  social  order,  civilization,  faith,  hope,  love, 
shall  perish  with  eternal  frost.  And  the  horrors  of  the 
vision  of  atheism,  seen  by  the  philosophic  Jean  Paul, 
shall  be  added  to  those  of  the  poet  Byron :  "Raising  his 
eyes  toward  the  heavenly  vault,  he  beheld  a  deep,  black, 
bottomless  void  !  Eternity,  resting  on  chaos,  was  slowly 
devouring  itself!" 

The  end  of  the  life  of  that  greatest  of  American  statesmen, 
foremost  of  American  lawyers,  and  most  commanding  of 
American  orators,  whose  language  I  have  quoted  from  Mr. 
Everett,  came  in  the  course  of  time.  Too  feeble  to  hold 
his  pen,  he  said  in  a  whisper  to  Mr.  Curtis,  his  biographer, 


THOUGHTS  ON  IMMORTALITY.         261 


"I  had  intended  to  prepare  a  work  for  the  press,  to  bear 
niv  testimony  to  Christianity;  but  it  is  now  too  late.  Still, 
I  would  like  to  bear  witness  to  the  Gospel,  before  I  die, 
Writing  materials  were  brought,  and  he  dictated  :  "  Lord, 
I  believe;  help  thou  my  unbelief.  Philosophical  objections 
have  often  shaken  my  reason  with  regard  to  Christianity, 
especially  the  objections  drawn  from  the  magnitude  of  the 
universe  contrasted  with  the  littleness  of  this  planet ;  but 
my  lieart  has  always  assured  me,  and  reassured  me,  that 
the  Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  is  a  divine  reality;''  and  these 
words  are  carved  on  the  marble  that  rests  over  his  sacred 
dust  at  Marshfield.  But,  as  that  brilliant  orb  was  going 
down  behind  the  western  hills,  he  asked,  as  if  still  in- 
tently anxious  to  preserve  his  consciousness  to  the  last, 
and  to  watch  for  the  moment  and  act  of  his  departure,  so 
as  to  comprehend  it,  "  whether  he  were  alive,  or  not."  On 
being  assured  he  was,  he  said,  as  if  assenting  to  what  had 
been  told  him,  because  he,  himself,  perceived  it  was  true, 
'■''I still  live  .^" — his  last  words.  The  sunset  had  come  ;  but 
it  was  a  sunrise  to  know  no  more  setting.  Ilis  earnest 
soul  repeated,  I  think,  the  last  words  he  spoke  on  earth  as 
his  first  in  heaven — I  still  live. 

III.  I  may  mention,  lastly,  the  argument  adduced  by 
the  Apostle  Paul  from  the  resurrection  of  our  Divine  Lord. 
Make  clear  the  fact  of  the  resurrection  of  Christ,  it  will  be 
a  fact  that  chimes  with  humanity's  unutterable  longings, 
and  fits  in  as  the  key-stone  of  the  radiant  arch  of  its  hopes. 
Make  clear  that  fact,  and  then,  as  the  meridian  sun  brings 
out  in  all  their  boldness  the  mountains  and  all  their  beauty, 


262  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

the  swarded  valleys  fointlj  descried  in  the  dim  twilight,  so 
will  a  risen  sun  of  righteousness  bring  out  these  hints,  and 
truths,  and  ideas,  in  controlling  power  over  the  intellect 
and  influence  over  the  practical  life.  Make  clear  that  fact, 
and  one  simple-minded  Christian  believer,  full  of  resur- 
rection power,  shall  chase  a  thousand  carping  rationalists, 
and  two  shall  put  ten  thousand  to  flight.  Our  faith  in  God, 
asks  of  God — a  risen  Redeemer. 

St.  Paul  claims,  if  Christ  be  not  risen,  faith  in  Him  is 
vain.  So  interwoven  with  the  very  life,  and  teachings,  and 
death  of  Christ  was  the  truth  of  His  resurrection,  that  to 
deny  the  latter  would  be  to  destroy,  root  and  branch,  all 
faith  in  Him  as  Teacher  and  Saviour.  He  had  said, 
"  Destroy  this  temple,  and  in  three  days  I  will  raise  it 
again."  After  the  surpassing  glory  of  the  transfiguration, 
he  had  commanded,  "  Tell  the  vision  to  no  man  until  the 
Son  of  man  be  risen  from  the  dead." 

He  must  either  have  been  unconsciously  deceived,  and 
then  he  would  have  shown  himself  a  weak,  erring  man,  and 
no  longer  entitled  to  the  claim  of  a  teacher  sent  from  God ; 
or  he  must  have  been  a  willful  impostor,  and  thus  have  sunk 
in  the  mire  trodden  beneath  the  feet  of  indignant,  deluded 
men.  If  Christ  be  not  risen,  your  faith  is  vain  ;  your  faith 
in  Him  as  a  Saviour  is  vain.  Your  Christian  conscious- 
ness is  a  nullity,  and  a  lie.  There  has  been  no  atonement. 
Ye  are  yet  in  your  sins.  Life,  death,  resurrection,  all 
enter  into  the  redeeming  work  of  Christ.  He  was  "  deliv- 
ered for  our  ofl'enses,  and  raised  again  for  our  justification." 
"If  thou   shalt  confess  with   thy   mouth,  the  Lord  Jesus. 


Til  O  UGHTS  ON  IMMOR  TALITY.        263 

and  believe  in  thine  heart  that  God  raised  him  from  the 
dead,  thou  shalt  be  saved."    J^o  resurrection,  no  salvation. 

He  asserts  of  the  apostles  :  "  "We  are  found  false  wit- 
nesses." We,  who  were  fullv  competent  by  reason  of  our 
numbers,  to  be  believed,  for  there  were  the  eleven  apostles, 
the  two  ]\Iarys,  Cleopas,  the  most  of  the  seventy,  and  five 
hundred  others  beside,  l^early  all  were  living,  and  ready 
to  testify.  Fully  competent,  as  to  our  powers  of  judgment 
and  varied  experience  ;  fully  competent,  from  the  oppor- 
tunities we  have  enjoyed  of  knowing  tlie  facts  to  whicli  we 
bear  witness.  We  have  been  with  the  Saviour  ;  we  have 
known  him  intimately ;  we  have  treasured  up  Ilis  words. 
His  image  is  stamped  upon  our  hearts  ;  we  beheld  His 
miracles ;  we  knew  He  was  crucified  ;  we  went  to  the 
tomb,  expecting  to  find  the  body  there ;  we  saw  Him  alive 
again;  we  saw  His  pierced  hands  and  wounded  side;  we 
heard  the  familiar  voice;  we  received  our  high  commission; 
we  saw  Him  ascend  into  glory. 

We  have  gained  nothing,  from  an  earthly  standpoint,  but 
loss  of  home,  of  friends,  of  reputation.  We  are  made  the 
filth  and  ofi'scouring  of  the  world.  We  are  made  a  spec- 
tacle unto  angels  and  to  men.  Stripes,  bonds,  imprison- 
ment are  before  us.  The  headsman'' s  axe  glitters  ir.  the 
sun.  "  To  the  lions,  to  the  lions  !"  rings  in  our  ears.  Cov- 
ered with  pitch,  and  set  on  fire,  we  shall  light  the  streets 
of  Eome  by  midnight!  If  in  this  life  only,  we  have  hope 
in  Christ,  we  are  of  all  men  most  miserable. 

How  the  apostle,  with  jubilant  utterance,  turns  away 
from  the  loathsome  impossibility  he  has  presented. 


264  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

"Now  is  Christ  risen  from  the  dead  and  become  the 
first  fruits  of  them  that  slept."  The  irrefutable  fiict  stands 
forth  in  all  its  glorious  majesty  and  infinite  sweep  of 
uieaning. 

The  Gospel  records  must  be  torn  to  tatters,  and  scattered 
\.  'h  the  rent  sjbilline  leaves,  never  more  to  be  regathered. 
The  whole  colossal  fabric  of  Christianity  must  liave  been 
built  upon  an  abyss.  The  head  and  founder  of  the  Church 
must  have  been  created  by  the  Church,  A  man  must  have 
been  the  father  of  his  own  ancestors,  before  this  fact  can 
be  successfully  denied. 

Christ  is  risen  from  the  dead.  His  own  words  have  been 
justified.  Christ  is  risen  from  the  dead,  and  God  has  given 
the  seal  and  sign  manual  to  his  Messianic  mission.  He 
has  declared  Him  to  be  the  Son  of  God,  with  power. 
Christ  is  risen  from  the  dead,  and  an  unsetting  sun — the 
new  and  unfailing  center  of  attraction — has  burst  forth  in 
glory  from  the  darkness  of  the  tomb.  Christ  is  risen,  and 
we,  too,  shall  rise.  Every  charnel  house  is  robbed  of  its 
terrors.  The  sting  has  been  plucked  fro^n  death,  and  the 
grave  been  robbed  of  its  victory.  The  darkness  has  forever 
passed.     It  U  morning  ! 

In  that  beautiful  city  of  the  dead.  Greenwood  ceme- 
tei-y,  where  the  ^^I'^cious  dust  of  so  many  loved  ones 
reposes — that  city,  on  its  eminence,  graced  with  flowers, 
fit  resurrection  emblems  of  life  and  loveliness  spring- 
ing from  decay,  and  melodious  with  the  music  of  birds  — 
that  city,  overlooking  the  city  of  the  living  below  it,  and 
the  river  and  the  sea  beyond  it,  contains  here  and  there  a 


THOUGHTS  ON  IMMORTALITY.        265 

broken  pedestal,  which  speaks  of  phiiis  unrealized,  and  ex- 
pectations unfulfilled  ;  of  aspirations  unsatisfied,  and  ends 
unachieved.  But  on  some  of  them  is  a  hand  pointing  up- 
ward. A  risen  Christ  is  the  inspiration  of  the  thought. 
The  upward  pointing  is  the  mute  and  eloquent  suggestion, 
that  on  the  plains  of  the  Xew  Jerusalem,  the  column  of 
life  shall  be  erected. 

A  limited  sphere  here,  a  boundless  amphitheatre  there. 
Seeming  failure  here,  assured  success  there.  Dead  hopes 
here,  living  realizations  there.  Bafflings,  disappointments 
here ;  unimpeded  progress  there.  Home  there,  rewards 
there,  friends  there,  Jesus  there.  Can  we  doubt  the  life 
beyond?  "Therefore,  my  beloved  brethren,  be  ye  stead- 
fast, unmovable,  always  abounding  in  the  work  of  the  Lord, 
forasmuch  as  ye  know  that  your  labor  is  not  in  vain,  in 
the  Lord." 


THE  CERTAINTIES  OF  THE  REDEEMED 
IN  THE  HEAVENLY  WORLD. 

Eev.  W.  Eeddy,  D.D. 


|UCH  labor  and  learning  have  been  expended 
in  writing  upon  the  future  state ;  but  those 
writers  who  have  followed  no  other  guide 
i(^/r^s^^.:^i^^  than  human  reason,  have  left  their  subject  in 
the  dark,  and  their  readers  in  a  state  of  perplexity,  un- 
certainty, and  fear.  Reason  is  a  precious  gift  of  God,  and 
when  used  properly,  is  a  blessing  of  incalculable  value;  but 
its  powers  are  confined  within  narrow  limits  ;  its  province  is 
bounded  by  the  phenomena  of  Nature ;  beyond  these  it 
can  not  pass,  without  the  aid  of  Divine  revelation. 

The  discoveries  of  science,  especially  by  means  of  the 
microscope,  are  indeed  wonderful.  It  has  demonstrated, 
with  certainty,  many  vastly  important  facts.  It  has  pene- 
trated to  hitherto  unknown  depths,  and  uncovered  mines  of 
rich  treasures  of  knowledge ;  but  it  can  not  penetrate  the 
arcana  of  Hades,  nor  inform  us  of  what  lies  beyond. 
"  For  what  man  knoweth  the  things  of  a  man,  save  the 
spirit  of  a  man  which  is  in  him  ;  even  so  the  things  of  God 
knoweth  no  man,  save  the  spirit  of  God  ;"  as  it  is  written, 
"  eye  hath  not  seen,  nor  ear  heard,  neither  have  entered  into 
the  heart  of  man,  the  things  which  God  hath  prepared  for 
them  that  love  Him ;    but  God  hath  revealed  them  unto  us 

866 


CERTAINTIES  OF  THE  REDEEMED.     267 

bj  His  spirit,  for  the  spirit  searcheth  all  things;  yea,  the 
deep  things  of  God." 

Modern  philosophers,  therefore,  are  as  unable  to  dis- 
cover, or  to  describe  the  heavenl}'  world,  as  were  the 
learned  men  of  Greece  and  Twonie  ;  and  if,  in  general,  the 
former  have  a  seeming  advantage  over  the  ancients,  it  is 
because  of  the  reflected  light  of  Divine  revelation,  for 
which,  however,  proper  credit  has  not  been  given, 

"The  things  of  a  inan,"  come  within  the  scope  of 
science  and  reason;  but  the  things  of  God,  lie  beyond  their 
sphere  and  ken. 

Since,  then,  we  are  dependent  entirely  on  revelation  for  all 
reliable  knowledge  of  the  invisible  and  heavenly  world,  let 
us  carefully  scan  what  the  "  lively  oracles"  teach,  especially 
in  regard  to  the  certainties  of  the  redeemed  in  heaven. 

1st.  It  is  certain  that  there  in  a  heavenly  world,  where 
God  dwells  in  majesty  and  glory.  It  is  called  "Heaven," 
— the  superior  heaven,  above  the  visible,  the  atmospheric, 
the  starry  heavens.  It  is  the  dwelling  place  of  the  imme- 
diate presence  of  God — the  abode  of  God  and  his  glory, 
arid  of  the  glorified  Messiah,  and  of  the  angels,  and  of  the 
.spirits  of  the  just  after  death — the  home  of  the  blessed ; 
the  abode  of  bliss;  and,  generally,  of  everything  which  is 
said  to  be  with  God. 

The  first  intimation  of  such  a  ]>lacG  recorded  in  the 
Bible,  is  the  translation  of  Enijch  :  "  IJe  walked  with  God, 
and  was  not,  for  God  took  him."  lie  "was  translated, 
that  he  should  not  see  death."  He  was  taken,  body  and 
1^0 ui-  to  dwell  with  God  in  the  heavenly  world. 


268  FIFTY  YFARS  AND  BEYOND. 

The  dream  of  Jacob,  at  Bethel,  was  a  further  proof  of 
the  heavenly  world.  The  "  Ladder  "  which  he  saw,  whose 
foot  was  upon  the  earth,  and  whose  "top  reached  to 
heaven,"  denoted  a  medium  of  communication  between 
this  and  the  heavenly  world.  The  Lord  stood  above  it, 
and  said,  "I  am  the  God  of  Abraham."  "And  behold,  the 
angels  of  God  ascended  and  descended  upon  it;"  and 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  who  is  the  medium  of  all  communi- 
cations between  heaven  and  earth,  applies  the  emblematical 
ladder  to  Himself     (John  i.  51.) 

ElijaK's  translation  strengthens  the  evidence  of  the 
point  under  consideration.  He  went  up  by  a  whirlwind, 
into  heaven.  His  ascent  was  visible.  [In  the  early  days 
of  Enoch,  when  there  was  no  written  revelation,  it  seemed 
necessary  to  give  some  ocular  demonstration  to  the 
skeptical  world,  of  the  reality  of  another  world ;  and  in 
the  days  of  Elijah,  the  issue  between  the  worship  of  the 
true  God  and  idolatry — between  the  sensuous  and  the  in- 
visible— had  become  so  positive  and  direct,  that  God  saw 
best  to  add  this  instance  of  bodily  translation ;  thus  rebuk- 
ing the  infidelity  of  the  times,  and  strengthening  the  faith 
of  his  true  worshipers.] 

In  the  transfiguration  of  ^esus  upon  the  Mount,  Elijah 
appeared  with  Moses,  and  talked  with  him,  and  spoke  of 
his  decease,  which  he  should  accomplish  at  Jerusalem. 
These  representative  saints  came  from  the  heavenly  world ; 
the  one,  a  representative  of  the  disembodied  saints ;  the 
other,  as  the  first  specimen  of  a  glorified  humanity,  entire. 

The  p'-nto-martyr,  Stephen,  was  favored  with  a  partial 


CERTAINTIES  OF  THE  REDEEMED.    269 

view  of  the  heavenly  world,  and  gave  a  dying  testimony  of 
its  reality  :  "  I  see  heaven  open,"  said  he,  "and  the  son 
of  man  standing  on  the  right  hand  of  God." 

St.  Paul  was  "caught  up  into  the  third  heaven;"  but 
"  whether  in  the  body,  or  out  of  the  body,  he  could  not 
tell;"  and  if  he  could  not  tell,  who  else  can  positively 
affirm  or  deny  ? 

St.  John,  on  the  Isle  of  Patmos,  had  an  open  vision  of 
that  blessed  place.  He  saw  the  throne  of  God,  and  a 
bright  train  of  ministering  spirits  ever  waiting  to  receive 
the  high  commands  of  God  and  the  Lamb.  The  purity, 
order,  and  the  glory  of  the  heavenly  world  appeared  to 
him  without  a  veil.  He  saw  that  happy  world,  where 
hosts  of  holy  persons  have  taken  up  their  abode,  after  their 
departure  out  of  this  vale  of  tears. 

Thither  our  Saviour  ascended  from  Mount  Olivet,  while 
the  disciples  "stood  gazing  up  into  heaven."  To  this  in- 
visible company,  the  Church  on  earth,  under  the  Christian 
dispensation,  has  already  come  by  faith,  and  with  that  com- 
pany they  are  already  in  unity  and  fellowship.    (Heb.  xii. 

22-25.) 

"By  faith  we  are  come 
To  our  heavenly  home ; 

By  hope  we  the  rapture  improve; 
By  love  we  still  rise, 
And  look  down  on  the  skies, 

For  the  heaven  of  heavens,  is  Love." 

2d.  Heaven  has  locality.  It  is  a  place  as  well  as  a 
state j  but  where  in  the  vast  dominion  of  God  the  blessed 
abode   is   located,    has  not  been   revealed   to   man ;    nor 


270  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

can  lie,  by  any  research  of  his  intellectual  powers,  discover 
it.      But  this  is  not  important. 

It  is  said  to  be  above. 

Jesus  declares  that  He  is  "  the  way"  to  it,  and  to  God. 
Angels  are  familiar  with  the  heavenly  route.  They  have 
traveled  it  since  the  "foundations  of  the  earth  were  laid," 
for  then  they  "shouted  for  joy"  at  the  "laying  of  the 
corner-stone  thereof."  The  metaphors  employed  to  repre- 
sent heaven,  the  names  by  which  it  is  designated,  the 
representations  of  the  Christian  life  which  leads  to  it,  the 
distinctive  contrast  between  it  and  the  world  of  torment,  all 
go  to  deterniine  it  as  2i  place. 

It  is  said  to  be  "a  better  country  "  (Heb.  xi.  16).  It  is 
an  "inheritance"  (1  Pet.  i.  4).  It  is  called  "the  city  of 
the  living  God;  the  heavenly  Jerusalem  "  (Heb.  xii.  22). 
It  is  our  "Father's  house,  where  are  many  mansions;" 
"a  place  prepared  for  the  saints  ;"  "  a  house  not  made 
with  hands,  eternal  in  the  heavens"  (2  Cor.  v.  1).  It  is 
the  end  of  the  Christian  pilgrimage,  to  which  "the  ran- 
somed of  the  Lord  are  returning  and  coming;"  "with 
songs  and  everlasting  joy  upon  their  head"  (Isa.  xxxv. 
10).     One  of  these  Pilgrims  thus  sings : 

"The  gates  of  pearl  now  open  wide  to  me, 

Thou  city  of  the  blest ; 
To  me  who  oft  have  longed  and  prayed  for  thee, 

And  thy  refreshing  rest ; 
Ere  sighs,  and  tears,  and  sorrow, 

Ere  pain,  and  grief,  and  woe, 

Were  changed  to  this  rejoicing. 

That  all  thy  chiklren  know." 

— John  Matthew  Meyhart, 


CERTAINTIES  OF  THE  REDEEMED.    271 

3d.  It  is  certain  that  Christ  will  be  there ;  and  this 
will  constitute  the  chief  element  of  the  blessedness  of  "  the 
saints  in  light." 

' '  Xot  all  the  harps  above 

Could  make  a  heavynly  place, 
If  Christ  his  residence  remove, 
Or  but  conceal  his  face." 

Christ  "went  awa}  "'  to  "prepare  a  place"  for  his 
followers,  and  he  is  now  "  at  the  right  hand  of  God,  making 
intercession  for  us."  He  is  "highly  exalted  above  every 
name." 

In  his  priestly  prayer,  recorded  in  John,  chapter  xvii., 
he  asks  that  "those  whom  the  Father  had  given  him 
might  be  loith  him.,''''  that  "they  might  behold  his  glory." 
What  that  glory  will  be  in  the  heavenlj^  world,  will  far 
exceed  our  present  conceptions.  When  he  appeared  to 
Saul  of  Tarsus,  on  his  way  to  Damascus,  "a  light  above 
the  brightness  of  the  sun,"  in  his  noon-day  splendor,  shone 
"round  about"  that  persecutor  and  his  companions;  and 
when  he  appeared  to  John,  on  the  isle  of  Patmos,  "his 
countenance  was  as  the  sun  shining  in  his  strength." 

But  how  transcendently  glorious  will  be  his  appearance  in 
heaven  !  Where  all  is  light  and  perfection,  and  where  every 
saint  will  be  strengthened  to  behold  and  bear  the  weight  of 
his  glory  ! 

This  appearance  of  the  Lord  in  his  ineffable  glory,  will 
be  a  source  of  indescribable  joy  to  all  his  followers. 
Heaven  will  ring  with  the  high  praises  of  the  Lamb  that 
was  slain,  but  who  liveth  again.     And  his  sacrilicial  death 


272  FIFTY  YFARS  AND  BEYOND. 

will  be  proclaimed  in  songs  of  everlasting  praise.  The 
wondrous  plan  of  redemption  and  salvation  will  be  opened 
to  view,  in  all  its  vast  extent,  and  in  all  its  depths  and 
heights.  Well  has  our  own  divine  poet  expressed  the 
thought,  that  the  presence  of  Jesus  will  be  the  secret  and 
the  sum  of  heavenly  bliss — 

"But  when  on  thy  bosom  reclined, 

Thy  face  I  am  strengthened  to  see; 
My  fullness  of  rapture  I  find 
My  heaven  of  heavens  in  thee." 

4th.  It  is  certain  the  saints  will  be  with  Jesus  in  the 
heavenly  world.  As  he  hung  on  the  cross,  in  the  midst  of 
his  dying  agony,  he  assured  the  dying,  penitent  malefactor, 
that  "to-day  he  should  be  with  him  in  Paradise." 

The  dying  martyr,  Stephen,  commended  his  departing 
spirit  to  him,  saying,  "  Lord  Jesus,  receive  my  spirit." 
St.  Paul,  in  the  midst  of  the  strife  for  the  faith  of  the  Gos- 
pel, had  "  a  desire  to  depart  and  he  with  Christ.,  which  was 
far  better"  than  to  abide  in  the  flesh.  And  he  declares, 
that  he  was  "confident  and  willing  rather  to  be  absent  from 
the  body  and  to  be  present  ivlth  the  Lord^''''  so  that  the 
Christian  may  confidently  say  : 

"With  him,  I  on  Zion  shall  stand, 
For  Jesus  hath  spoken  the  word." 

The  ancient,  but  revived  error,  that  the  soul  will  remain 
in  a  state  of  unconsciousness  from  death  to  the  resurrec- 
tion, had  no  place  in  St.  Paul's  creed,  and  should  have  no 
place  in  the  creed  of  any  one  calling  himself  a  Christian. 


CEIlTAINTIES  OF  THE  REDEEMED.    273 

Leave  to  infidels  and  materialistic  scientists  the  gloomy 
speculation  concerning  the  dependence  of  the  soul  for  its 
existence  and  consciousness  upon  physical  organism ;  but 
let  the  Christian  believer  assert  his  faith  in  the  assurance 
of  his  Lord,  that  ''Whosoever  liveth  and  believcth  in  him, 
shall  never  die."  The  body  may  "sleep;"  but  when 
Jesus  comes,  the  spirits  of  them  whose  bodies  sleep, ."  will 
God  bring  icith  him,''^  and  then,  "  soul  and  hodf/  shall  his 
glorious  image  bear,"  and  be  caught  up  together  with  the 
changed  living,  "to  meet  the  Lord  in  the  air,  and  so  be 
ever  loith  the  Lardy 

"Forever  with  the  Lord, 
Amen,  so  let  it  be  ! 
Life  from  the  dead  is  in  that  word, 
'Tis  immortality." 

5th.  There  will  be  no  suffering  in  that  blissful  abode. 
"Here  are  atHictions  and  trials  severe."  "  Many  are  the 
afHictions  of"  even  "  the  righteous."  "  Those  which  have 
the  first  fruits  of  the  spii-it,  groan  within  themselves,  wait- 
ing for  the  adoption,  the  redemption  of  their  bodies." 

It  seems  not  a  little  mysterious  that  God  should  permit 
his  own  dear  saints  to  suflfer  in  this  life  ;  but  this  has  ever 
been  the  case  since  the  days  of  the  ancient  worthies,  "who 
wandered  about  in  sheep-skins  and  goat-skins,  being  desti- 
tute, afflicted,  tormented  ;  of  whom  the  world  was  not 
worthy  " 

When  Annanias  hesitated  to  go  to  Saul,  at  the  house  of 
Simon,  in   Straight  street,  at   Damascus,  the  Lord  said  to 


£>74         FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

him,    "He  is  a  chosen  vessel  unto  me — for  I  will  show  him 
how  great  things  he  must  suffer  for  rny  sake.'''' 

*' The  disciple  is  not  above  his  Master ;  but  he  that  is 
perfect  shall  be  as  his  Master."  The  bliss  of  the  heavenly 
world  will  be  heightened  by  contrast  with  the  sufferings 
in  this.  "For  I  reckon,"  says  St.  Paul,  "that  the  suffer- 
ings of  this  present  time  are  not  worthy  to  be  compared 
with  the  glory  which  shall  be  revealed  in  us."  "  For  our 
light  afflictions,  which  are  but  for  a  moment,  work  for  us  a 
far  more  exceeding  and  eternal  weight  of  glory."  Plainly, 
this  "weight  of  glory"  excludes  all  suffiering ;  for  the 
Pilgrims,  as  they  reach  their  heavenly  "  Zion,  obtain  joy 
and  gladness,  and  sorroio  and  sighing  ^qq,  away."  Hence, 
there  will  be  no  death  in  all  the  society  of  the  redeemed. 
Death  is  vanquished ;  his  sceptre  is  gone  ;  for  death, 
as  the  "last  enemy"  of  the  saints,  will  have  been 
"destroyed."     "  Death  is  swallowed  up  in  victory." 

"The  grain  that  seems  lost  in  the  earth  below, 
Will  return  manifold  in  the  ear ; 
By  death  comes  life — by  loss  comes  gain  ; 
ELeaven's  joy  for  a  tear — heaven's  peace  for  the  pain." 

— Harhaugh. 

6th.  It  follows  as  a  corollary,  that  perfect  happiness 
will  be  the  allotment  of  the  saints  in  heaven. 

Two  things  will  conspire  to  render  heaven  a  place  of  in- 
effable delight :  the  first  is,  the  absence  of  all  evil ;  and 
the  second,  the  presence  of  all  good. 

In  "  God's  presence  there  is  fullness  of  joy,'  and  at 
his  right  hand  are  pleasures  forever  more." 


CERTAINTIES  OF  THE  REDEEMED.    275 

"There  will  be  no  want  of  any  tiling  good  or  necessary, 
to  complete  the  felicity  of  God's  family." 

"There  is  no  sighing 
O'er  the  unloving  or  the  dying; 
There,  eloquent  smiles  the  fond  lips  wreathe ; 
There,  hearts  of  deathless  friendship  breathe  ; 
There,  where  love  tokens  ever  more  are  thronging. 
Is  no  more  longing."  Marianne  Farningham. 

The  thought  may  arise  in  some  minds — How  can  the 
saints  be  perfectly  happy,  free  from  all  mental  sufferings, 
with  the  certain  knowledge  that  some  of  their  near  earthly 
relations  are  suffering  the  miseries  of  the  lost?  In  response 
to  such  an  inquiry,  it  may  be  said : 

How  can  the  holy  angels  be  perfectly  happy,  with  the 
certain  knowledge  that  many  of  their  fellow  angels  are 
"held  in  chains  of  darkness  unto  the  judgment  of  the 
great  day,"  with  no  ray  of  hope  of  pardon,  or  reprieve, 
or  limitation  to  the  punishment;  but  they  must  suffer  "  the 
vengeance  of  eternal  fire?"  But  further:  IIow  can  a 
Christian  be  happy  with  the  certain  knowledge  that  so 
many,  even  of  his  own  kindred,  are  daily  sinning,  and 
daily  suffering  untold  wretchedness,  as  the  result  of  their 
own  sinning?  These  sequences  of  sinning  are  appointed 
by  God,  though  He  pities  the  sinner.  These  sufferings  in 
this  life,  as  permitted  and  appointed,  are  consistent  with 
the  wisd(Mn  and  goodness  of  God,  else  they  would  not  be, 
since  He  \vd9, poiver  to  prevent  them.  And  no  intelligent 
Christian  can,  for  a  moment,  impugn  God  because  of  them. 
"  The  Judge  of  all  the  earth  doeth  right." 


2Y6         FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 


In  like  manner,  the  miseries  of  the  finally  impenitent 
will  be  but  the  extension  of  the  principles  of  the  Divine 
economy,  in  their  application  to  the  future  world;  and 
"the  saints  in  light"  will  so  clearly  see,  and  so  fully 
acquiesce  in  the  appointments  of  God,  as  being  infinitely 
wise,  and  for  the  best  good  of  the  Universe,  that  they  will 
see  no  room  for  dissent  or  regret.  Besides,  there  is  too 
much  stress  laid  on  human  sympathy  and  mere  natural 
affection,  in  contemplating  the  relation  of  the  condition  of 
the  lost,  to  that  of  the  saved  in  the  future  world. 

The  laQVQ  feelings  of  the  natural  heart,  in  contemplating 
the  condition  of  sufi'ering  kindred,  are  by  no  means  a 
criterion  of  the  state  of  the  affections  of  those  who  are 
sanctified,  and  are  in  perfect  harmony  with  God.  The 
natural  in  the  latter  case,  is  swallowed  up  in  the  fullness  of 
the  supernatural;  and  the  triumphant  paean  of  the  redeemed 
will  be,  "The  song  of  Moses,  the  servant  of  God,  and  the 
song  of  the  Lamb,  saying,  '  Great  and  marvelous  are  Thy 
works,  Lord  God  Almighty :  Just  and  true  are  Thy  ways. 
Thou  King  of  saints ;  who  shall  not  fear  Thee  and  glorify 
Thy  name ;  for  Thou  only  art  holy,  for  all  nations  shall 
come  and  worship  before  Thee,  for  Thy  judgments  are 
made  manifest.''  " 

In  the  awards  of  the  final  judgment  by  Jesus  Christ, 
God  will  not  act  so  much,  if  at  all,  in  His  parental,  as  in 
his  regal  andi  judicial  character,  "rendering  to  every  man, 
according  as  his  work  shall  be;"  and  " we  are  sure  that 
the  judgment  of  God  is  according  to  truth." 


CERTAINTIES  OF  THE  REDEEMED.     277 

"Great  day  of  revelation!  " 
"Great  day  of  termination  to  the  joys  of  sin; 
To  the  joys  that  grew  on  mortal  boughs;  on  trees 
Whose  seed  fell  not  from  Heaven,  whose  top 
Reached  not  above  the  clouds." 

7th.  The  crowning  element  of  this  happiness  will  be, 
the  Holiness  of  the  place  and  of  all  its  inhabitants, 

God  is  holy  !  thrice  holy  !     Hence,  the  highest  order  of 
the  heavenly  hosts  veil  their  faces,  and  cry,  "ZToZy,  Jiohj^ 
holy^  Lord  God  of  hosts  I"     His  holiness  is  expressed  by 
^ '  His  being  covered  with  light,  as  with  a  garment,"  and' 
that  "  in  Him  is  no  darkness  at  all." 

Jesus  is  "holy,  harmless,  undefiled,  and  separate  from 
sinners."  He  is  "the  hrlghtness  of  His  Father s  glory, 
and  the  express  image  of  His,  person.''''  Hence,  nothing 
unclean  can  dwell  in  that  holy  city  and  holy  presence. 

The  four  and  twenty  elders  before  the  throne,  are  clotheo 
in  white  raiments.,  expressive  of  their  purity. 

The  angels  are  holy.,  and  .the  saints  are  /wZy,  for  they 
' '  washed  their  robes  and  made  them  white  in  the  blood  of 
the  Lamb." 

Holiness  is  the  Iridal  robe  of  the  Lamb's  wife;  the 
"wedding  garment,"  of  all  the  guests.  To  the  bride 
'*was  granted  that  she  should  be  arrayed  in  clean  and 
white  linen,  for  the  fine  linen  is  the  righteousness  of 
saints." 

No  individual  will  be  found  there  without  entire  sancti- 
fication  ;  for  "there  shall  in  nowise  enter  into  it  (the 
heavenly  city)  any  thing  that  deiileth,  neither  whatsoever 


278  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 


worketh  abomination,  or  maketh  a  lie,  but  tliej  which  are 
written  in  the  Lamb's  book  of  Life  "  (Rev.  xxi.  27). 

8th.  Heaven  will  be  glorious  !  The  landscape  will  be 
glorious!  Fields  ever  green  ;  the  pure  and  flowing  river; 
trees  whose  leaves  never  fade,  whose  fruit  never  decays ; 
flowers,  infinitely  variegated  and  ever  fragrant,  all  con- 
tribute to  regale  the  spiritual  senses. 

The  city  will  be  glorious !  Jasper  walls,  pearly  gates, 
golden  streets;  perpetual  light,  endless  day,  and  the 
"  glorious  high  throne,"  will  render  it  so. 

The  society  will  be  glorious!  Forms  of  beauty — the 
dew  of  youthful  freshness  on  every  brow  ;  sweetest  inter- 
course— mutual  love  and  kindness ;  songs  of  delight  with 
no  dying  cadence,  all,  all  these  in  infinite  variety  will 
conspire  to  render  heaven  most  glorious !  And  to  crown 
all,  the  glory  of  God  and  the  Lamb  will  encircle  the  in- 
habitants, and  fill  the  place. 

9th.  The  society  of  heaven  has  been  involved  in  the 
discussion  of  the  previous  iteyis  enumerated.  But  there  is 
one  element  of  that  society  which  demands  special  atten- 
tion. It  is  that  oi friends.  We  use  the  term  friends  instead 
of  relatives^  because  friendship  is  not  confined  to  earthly 
relatives,  but  embraces  Mndred  spirits^  who  have  been 
intimately  joined  in  heart  and  sympathy  here  ;  and  because, 
also,  that  we  reckon  among  our  earthly  friends,  our  kin- 
dred according  to  the  flesh ;  many  of  whom  are  not  the 
"friends  of  Jesus" — are  not  "  in  the  Lord  ;"  and  as  to 
the  term  '■'- relatives''"'  in  heaven,  all  the  saints  are  relor 
tives^  because  the  family  of  heaven  is   oixe;  it  is  a  royal 


CERTAINTIES  OF  THE  REDEEMED.     279 

fraternity.,  for  all  became  ' '  the  children  of  God  by  faith 
in  Christ  Jesus." 

Those  whom  we  have  known  and  loved  on  earth  as 
friends  in  Jesus.,  whether  kindred  in  the  flesh  or  other- 
wise, will  be  there  to  make  up  the  sum  of  bliss,  and  to  be 
our  companions  forever.  . 

Recognition. 
But  shall  we  know  them  ?  Will  they  know  us  amid 
the  innumerable  throng?  We  can  not  doubt  such  rec- 
ognition, though  precisely  by  what  marks  of  identity 
we  may  not  certainly  affirm.  There  are  grounds  for  ex- 
pecting this  recognition  in  advance  of  direct  Scripture 
statement.  The  yearning  of  the  heart  for  the  departed, 
must  forever  remain  unsatisfied  without  it.  The  commun- 
ion of  the  saints  in  heaven,  is  impossible  without  personal 
recognition.  Forgetfulness  will  make  up  no  part  of  heaven. 
And  knowledge  acquired  in  this  life  would  be  largely  use- 
less without  this  personal  recognition.  The  unraveling  of 
the  mysteries  of  this  life  demands  it ;  and  the  consumma- 
tion of  heart  friendships  in  this  life  would  never  be 
realized  without  it. 

Script >i re  Ted'tmony. 

But  the  Scriptures  come  to  our  aid,  and  relieve  the  heart 
of  doubt  in  regard  to  this  matter.  John,  the  Revelator, 
saw  "the  souls  of  them  which  were  beheaded  for  the  Word 
of  God,  and  the  testimony  which  they  held."  They  were 
under  the  altar.     He  must  have  known  them  as  martyrs. 

"The  rich  man  saw  Abraham   afar  off,  and  Lazarus  in 


280  FIFTY  YEAR8  AND  BEYOND. 

his  bosom,"  liiinself  being  in  torment.  David  said  his 
child  "should  not  return  to  him,  but  he  should  go  to  it." 

Moses  and  Elias  must  have  known  each  other,  when  on 
the  Mount  of  Transfiguration  ;  since  the  disciples,  still  in 
the  flesh,  recognized  them. 

Finally,  the  doctrine  of  the  resurrection,  as  taught  in  the 
Scriptures,  implies  a  recognized  individuality.  Cheer^ 
then: 

*'0,  ye  weary,  sad  and  tossed  ones. 

Droop  not,  faint  not  by  the  way ; 
Ye  shall  join  the  loved  and  just  ones, 

In  that  land  of  perfect  day. 
Harp-strings  touched  by  angel  Angers ; 

Murnmred  in  my  rapturous  ear, 
Evermore  their  sweet  song  lingers  : 

We  shall  know  each  other  there  !  "  —Anon. 

10th.  The  resurrection  of  the  body  is  among  the 
assured  cei'tcvinties  of  the  heavenly  world;  and  this  is  neces- 
sary to  the  full  realization  of  all  the  foregoing  anticipa- 
tions. This  is  the  crowning  glory  of  the  redemption 
scheme ;  this  was  the  key-stone  of  the  Gospel  arch.  The 
resurrection  of  Christ  is  the  proof,  the  pledge,  and  the 
pattern  of  the  resurrection  of  the  righteous. 

Jesus  has  gone  to  heaven  with  his  own  resurrection 
body—" a  glorious  body"  —and  St.  Paul,  in  comforting  the 
saints  concerning  their  deceased  friends,  says:  "If  we 
believe  that  Jesus  died  and  rose  again,  them  also  that  sleep 
in  Jesus  will  God  bring  with  him."  "  For  the  Lord  him- 
self shall  descend  from  heaven  with  a  shout,  and  the  dead 


CERTAINTIES  OF  THE  REDEEMED.     281 

in  Christ  shall  rise,"  and  those  of  the  saints  "which  are 
alive,  and  remain  unto  the  coming  of  the  Lord,"  "shall  be 
changed  in  a  moment,  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye,"  and  "be 
caught  up  together,"  and  with  the  risen  dead,  "meet  the 
Lord  in  the  air,  and  so  be  ever  with  the  Lord." 

As  it  did  not  fall  within  the  scope  of  the  apostle's 
design,  in  the  passages  alluded  to  in  the  foregoing,  to  dis- 
cuss the  resurrection  of  the  "unjust,"  we  omit  that  topic 
here  for  the  same  reason.  The  resurrection  of  the  bodies 
of  the  saints  is  clearly  taught,  and  that  their  "bodies  shall 
be  fashioned  like  unto  Christ's  most  glorious  body,  accord- 
ing to  the  workings  whereby  he  is  able  to  subdue  all  things 
unto  himself." 

Many  of  the  descriptions  of  the  heavenly  world,  already 
brought  to  view,  doubtless  relate  to  the  resurrection  state, 
and  will  not  have  their  complete  fultillment  until  after  the 
second  coming  of  Christ,  and  of  the  final  judgment.  ]S^ever- 
theless,  they  are  certainties^  which  are  assured,  and  will  be 
realized. 

Where  the  final  location  of  the  metropolis  of  "  the  king- 
dom, prepared  for  the  saints  from  the  foundation  of  the 
world,"  will  be,  is  a  question  not  so  definitely  stated  as  to 
preclude  doubt,  and  therefore  the  discussion  of  it  is  here 
declined.  Certainties  is  what  we  seek  to  ascertain  and 
assert.  It  is  enough  to  know  that  Jesus  the  "  King, 
when  he  shall  come  in  his  glory,  and  all  his  holy  angels  with 
him,  will  sit  upon  the  throne  of  his  glory,"  and  will  "  say 
to  those  on  his  riglit  hand.  Come,  ye  blessed  of  my  Father, 
inherit 'Cti^  kingdom  prepared  for  you."     This   "inherit- 


282  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

ance"  involves  the  possession  of  all  the  mental  and  moral 
elements  of  nature — refined,  exalted,  glorified  ;  of  individ- 
uality, of  society ;  of  worship,  of  music,  of  heauty^  of 
riches,  of  home,  of  government  and  order,  of  employment 
and  activity  of  love ;  kindness ;  of  progression  in  knowl- 
edge, of  gradation — perhaps  of  mutual  dependence  and 
mutual  happiness — certainly  of  mutual  attraction  toward  a 
common  center,  and  toward  each  other,  with  eternal  secu- 
rity against  disease,  decline,  or  the  possibility  of  a  fall. 

""We're  going  home,  we've  had  visions  bright 
Of  that  holy  land,  that  world  of  light, 
Where  the  long  dark  night  of  time  is  past, 
And  the  morn  of  eternity  dawns  at  last ; 
Where  the  weary  saint  no  more  shall  roam, 
But  dwell  in  a  happy,  peaceful  home ; 
Where  the  brow  with  sparkling  gems  is  crowned, 
And  the  waves  of  bliss  are  flowing  'round. 
Oh,  that  beautiful  world  !   Oh,  that  beautiful  world  ! 

"  'Mid  the  ransomed  throng,  'mid  the  sea  of  bliss, 
'Mid  the  holy  city's  gorgeousness  ; 
'Mid  the  verdant  plains,  'mid  angels'  cheer, 
'Mid  the  saints  that  round  the  throne  appear. 
When  the  conqueror's  song,  as  it  sounds  afar, 
Is  wafted  on  the  ambrosial  air ; 
Through  endless  years  we  then  shall  prove 
The  depth  of  a  Saviour's  matchless  love. 
Oh,  that  beautiful  world !  Oh,  that  beautiful  world  !" 


POSSIBILITIES  OF  A  REDEEMED  SOUL  IN  THE 
FUTURE  LIFE. 

Rev.  S.  a.  W.  Jewett,  D.D. 


I  HE  fact  of  a  future  life  for  man,  is  a  chief 
corner-stone  of  Religion.  Next  to  the  being 
of  God,  it  is  the  most  important  truth  within 
the  range  of  human  thought.  Tnimortality 
gives  to  man  his  highest  dignity  and  worth.  Blot  out  the 
light  of  that  great  truth,  and  man  sinks  in  value  immeas 
urablj.  The  difference  between  a  creature,  whose  existence 
ends  with  the  few  brief  years  of  our  earthly  life,  and  a 
spirit  created  for  eternity,  is  greater  than  any  words  can 
tell. 

"  'Tis  Immortality  deciphers  man. 
And  opens  all  the  mysteries  of  his  make. 
Without  it,  half  his  instincts  are  a  riddle  ; 
Without  it,  all  his  virtues  are  a  dream." 

It  is  the  peculiar  glory  of  the  Gospel,  that  it  gives  cer- 
tainty to  man's  longing  hope  of  personal  immortality.  It 
teaches  that,  to  the  children  of  God,  death,  with  all  its 
gloom,  is  only  a  brief  eclipse,  through  which  the  redeemed 
spirit  passes  for  an  hour,  and  then  enters  upon  eternal  day. 
To  the  child  of  God,  death  is  the  birthday  of  everlasting 
life. 


284  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND.  ■ 

But  while  the  Gospel  reveals  to  us  the  glorious  secret  of 
a  blissful  immortality  for  every  child  of  God,  it  does  not 
tell  us  everything  pertaining  to  the  future  life  which  our 
excited  curiosity  desires  to  know.  "It  doth  not  appear 
what  we  shall  be."  We  must  wait  till  death  shall  disclose 
to  us  the  hidden  glory.  Still,  with  all  this  reticence  of  reve- 
lation, now  and  then  a  little  corner  of  the  curtain  is  lifted, 
and  some  glimpses  of  the  coming  glory  break  through 
the  window  to  inspire  and  intensify  our  hope.  "For  we 
know,  that  when  lie" — our  glorified  Redeemer — "shall 
appear,  we  shall  be  like  Him,  for  we  shall  see  Ilim  as  He 
is."  Even  the  brightest  joys  and  most  glorious  expe- 
riences of  this  life  must  be  unspeakably^  mean  and  poor  in 
comparison  with  that  future  life,  which  brings  us  into  per- 
fect fellowship  with  "Jesus,  the  mediator  of  the  new 
covenant,"  and  with  "angels  and  the  spirits  of  just  men 
made  perfect." 

The  glory  that  shall  then  be  revealed  in  us,  will  be,  in 
part,  the  glory  of  an  exalted  and  mature  intellectual  life. 
Some  there  are  who  think  very  little  of  heaven  as  a  place 
for  intellectual  activity,  and  the  joys  that  attend  it.  They 
care  very  little  for  this  view  of  heaven,  because  they  have 
small  interest  in  mental  culture  here,  and  little  taste 
for  intellectual  pleasures.  Their  opportunities  for  mental 
improvement  have  been  limited,  perhaps,  and  their  occupa- 
tions have  been  unfavorable  to  intellectual  pursuits.  Hence 
they  have  never  acquired  that  keen  relish  for  study,  and 
tliat  intense  love  of  knowledge,  which  inspire  the  enthu- 
siasm of  the  scholar  and  the  thinker.  There  are  some 
among  the  children  of  God  '^  called  to  be  saints,"  whose 


POSSIBILITIES  OF  THE  BEDEEMED.  286 

circumstances  and  mode  of  life  have  given  them  only 
a  very  low  appreciation  of  intellectual  joys  and  pursuits. 
But  of  these  it  may  be  said,  that  the  attributes  of  saint- 
hood which  they  possess  involve  the  latent  capacity  for 
all  the  joys  and  higher  activities  of  the  intellect.  Earn- 
est love  of  all  spiritual  excellence,  and  intense  desire  for 
complete  likeness  to  Christ,  are  elements  of  all  true  Christ- 
ian experience.  And  where  these  exist  in  the  mind,  as 
fixed  habits  of  thought  and  feeling,  the  latent  capacity 
for  all  high  activities  of  mind,  and  for  delight  in  them, 
must  surely  be  present.  Association  with  angelic  minds, 
and  with  the  spirits  of  just  men  made  perfect,  will  develop 
this  latent  capability.  The  tuition  of  heaven  will  awaken 
the  love  of  knowledge,  and  inspire  delight  in  all  intel- 
lectual work.  That  goodness  of  heart,  which  invites  the 
revelations  of  God  —  hidden  from  the  wise  and  prudent 
of  this  world — when  it  has  moulded  all  the  habits  of  the 
soul  into  harmony  with  the  spiritual  laws  of  the  universe, 
and  fitted  it  for  the  pure  and  exalted  society  of  heaven, 
will  then — the  disadvantages  of  this  life  being  cast  aside — 
open  up  before  the  redeemed  spirit  a  career  of  advance- 
ment in  wisdom  and  knowledge,  such  as  no  college  curicu- 
lum  or  university  course  devised  by  man  on  earth  has 
ever  furnished. 

Wiser  teachers  than  the  best  endowed  schools  of  earth 
can  command,  with  better  methods  of  instruction,  will 
attend  the  redeemed  soul  with  loving  care,  and  lead  him 
rapidly  onward  in  the  path  of  knowledge ;  while  at 
every  step  new  and  unexpected  joys  break  upon  the  rap- 


286  FIFTY  YEAHS  AND  BEYOND. 

tnred  spirit.  Angels  that  excel  in  strength — old  in  wisdom 
and  experience,  but  having  the  vigor  and  beauty  of  im- 
mortal youth — will  be  ready  to  teach  him.  They  all  are 
ministering  spirits,  sent  forth  to  minister  unto  the  heirs 
of  salvation  in  this  world.  In  these  holy  ministries  they 
have  watched  the  growth  of  human  minds  from  infancy  to 
age,  and  so  are  acquainted  with  all  the  laws  and  processes  of 
human  thought.  They  must  be  masters  in  the  art  of  teach- 
ing. By  long  and  tireless  study  of  the  noblest  themes  of 
thought,  and  in  all  science  and  philosophy  possible  to 
created  minds,  through  the  past  centuries,  they  have  gath- 
ered all  the  treasures  of  wisdom  and  knowledge.  What 
inexpressible  pleasure,  to  be  guided  in  the  noble  studies  of 
heaven  by  teachers  such  as  these  ! 

Yaried  talents  in  our  instructors  may  be  a  benefit. 
Heaven  will  afford  us  that  advantage.  The  spirits  of  just 
men  made  perfect  will  be  there,  ready  to  help  us  in  our 
studies.  Paul  could  give  us  lessons  from  the  treasures  of 
wisdom  he  has  gathered  during  the  happy  eighteen  cen- 
turies since  he  entered  Paradise.  He  could  thrill  us  with 
interest,  as  he  recited  his  experiences  during  those  three 
silent  years  he  spent  in  Arabia.  Abraham,  the  father  of 
the  faithful,  could  tell  us  much  we  do  not  know  about  that 
wonderful  call  of  God,  which  led  him  out  from  his  father's 
house  in  Mesopotamia  to  sojourn  a  stranger  in  the  land  of 
Canaan.  And  Isaiah,  whose  fiery  eloquence  has  so  often 
thrilled  our  hearts  ;  and  David,  so  full  of  the  noblest 
poetry  of  earth  when  a  shepherd  boy,  now  doubtless  more 
full  of  the  poetry  of  heaven  ;  and  John,  the  beloved  dis- 


POSSIBILITIES  OF  THE  BEDEEMED.   287 

ciple,  who  leaned  upon  liis  Master's  breast — all  could 
minister  to  our  advancement  in  knt)wlodge.  And  in 
heaven,  we  may  take  lessons  again  from  the  motlier  who 
first  taught  our  infant  lips  to  lisp  the  blessed  name  of 
Jesus. 

Contact  of  mind  with  mind  is  helpful  to  intellectual  cul- 
ture. That  is  one  of  the  benefits  of  institutions  of  learn- 
ing. The  student  lives  in  a  society  the  spirit  of  which 
perpetually  stimulates  and  inspires  mental  activity.  So 
the  fellowship  of  kindred  minds  in  heaven,  will  not  oidy 
be  a  direct  source  of  joy  by  calling  into  exei-cise  the 
purest  social  affections  and  sympathies,  but  it  will  be  a 
perpetual  inspiration  and  help  in  intellectual  advancement. 
A  more  perfect  method  of  communcating  thought,  than 
we  know  in  this  world,  may  be  possessed  by  the  re- 
deemed spirits  of  heaven.  Language  is  one  of  God's 
noblest  gifts  to  man.  Yet  we  often  find  it  entirely  inade- 
quate to  the  full  expression  of  our  best  thoughts  and 
deepest  emotions. 

*'  How  fleet  is  a  glance  of  tlie  mind ! 

Compared  with  the  speed  of  its  flight, 
The  tempest  itself  lags  behind, 

And  the  swift- winged  arrows  of  light." 

And  yet  how  slow  and  imperfect  is  the  speech,  at  times, 
with  which  we  vainly  try  to  express  that  glance  of  the 
mind  !  But  among  the  redeemed,  thought  may  flash  from 
mind  to  mind,  as  the  telegram  flies  along  the  wire  beneath 
the  ocean  wave  ;  and  with  a  force  and  precision  far  beyond 
tne  power  of  the  most  eloquent  hunum  s])eech.     Any  one 


£88  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

acquainted  with  the  telegraphic  art,  may  stand  in  the  office 
on  the  Atlantic  coast,  and  reading  by  sound,  listen  while 
messages  are  transmitted  across  the  ocean,  of  such  thrilling 
interest  to  the  nations  that  they  shake  the  world.  So  the 
redeemed  spirit,  placed  in  telegraphic  communication  with 
all  the  glorious  circles  of  angelic  spirits,  may  stand  by  and 
listen  entranced,  while  angel  talks  with  archangel  across 
the  sweep  of  the  Third  Heavens,  upon  the  mightiest  themes 
of  angelic  thought. 

The  vast  capacity  of  the  soul  for  growth  in  this  life,  opens 
up  to  our  thought  a  measureless  possibility  of  develop- 
ment in  all  moral  and  intellectual  excellence  in  the  future 
life.  The  power  of  growth  is  everywhere  a  characteristic 
of  life.  A  cedar  cone,  no  larger  than  one  can  grasp  in  the 
closed  hand,  was  planted  on  the  Nevada  mountain  about 
the  time  that  Abraham  was  born,  in  Ur  of  the  Chaldees  ; 
and  growing  on  through  the  ages,  rocked  by  the  tempests  of 
forty  centuries,  weaving  its  trunk  and  branches  from  air 
and  sunshine,  according  to  the  plan  which  God  had  wrap- 
ped up  in  the  little  cone  at  first,  it  built  up  a  mighty  pile 
of  forest  architecture  three  hundred  and  fifty  feet  high 
and  eighty  feet  in  circumference.  The  vast  power  of 
growth  exhibited  by  this  giant  of  the  forest  fills  us  with 
wonder.  But  how  nmch  more  wonderful  the  growth  of  a 
human  mind,  from  the  feebleness  of  infancy  to  the  mature 
intellectual  power  of  a  Newton  !  And  if  such  growth  is 
realized  in  this  brief  life,  what  shall  be  the  development  of 
the  soul  in  heaven,  when  it  has  measured  out  there  the  life- 
time of  a  mountain  cedar?     Let  imagination  stretch  her 


Possibilities  of  the  redeemed.  289 

wings  for  lier  loftiest  flight,  as  we  attempt  to  conceive  the 
future  adv'ancement  of  the  redeemed  soul,  as,  rising  from 
glory  to  glorv,  it  reaches  a  mountain  summit  far  above  that 
measureless  height  on  which  Gabriel  now  stands  ! 

The  power  of  growtli  which  belongs  to  the  human  soul, 
reveals  the  possibility,  for  the  redeemed  spirit,,  of  ever- 
increasing  capacity  for  holy  love  and  the  "joy  unspeakable 
and  full  of  glory,"  which  springs  from  the  exercise  of  pure 
affection.  Like  all  other  powers  of  the  soul,  the  power  of 
loving  the  pure  and  good,  is  developed  and  enlarged  by 
exercise.  The  boy  who  most  deeply  and  truly  loves  a 
noble  mother,  if  no  blight  falls  upon  his  affectioiud  nature, 
will  give  the  richest  love  to  wife  and  family  when  he  grows 
to  manhood. 

It  is  the  property  of  mind  to  see  and  appreciate  moral 
excellence  more  vividly  the  more  deeply  we  love  the  person 
who  has  it ;  and  the  brighter  vision  will,  of  course,  in- 
tensify the  love  that  gave  it.  Every  new  perception  of  the 
glory  of  our  Redeemer  will  kindle  the  flame  of  love  to 
Him  more  brightly  in  our  hearts ;  and  the  increasing  in- 
tensity of  love  will  help  us  more  and  more  to  see  Ilim  as 
He  is.  Thus,  love  of  God,  and  of  all  the  good  and  pure 
in  Heaven,  will  constantly  grow,  as  our  fellowship  with 
them  continues.  And  growing  love  means  increasing  joy. 
For  the  richest  joy  possible  to  the  human  soul,  comes  from 
the  play  and  exercise  of  pure  and  noble  affection.  It  is  so 
in  this  world,  and  doubtless  will  be  so  forever.  Hence, 
we  are  told,  that  in  Heaven,  where  love  is  perfect,  there  is 
"fullness  of  joy,  and  |)leasures  forevermore," 


'2i)0  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

"VVe  undoubtedly  have  a  very  meagre  conception  of  the 
real  greatness  of  the  human  soul.  Here,  where  alone  it 
numifests  its  powers  to  us,  it  is  limited  by  the  infirmity  and 
weakness 'of  this  frail  body  of  ours.  Who  then  can  prop- 
erly estimate  its  untold  grandeur  and  power,  as  they  shall 
be  revealed  after  ages  of  development,  in  association  with 
the  spiritual  body  of  the  future  life,  fashioned  after  the 
most  glorious  body  of  our  Kedeemer.  Of  the  possibility 
of  an  ethereal  spiritual  body — equal  to  the  tireless  energy 
of  the  immortal  soul,  we  have  an  intimation  in  some  of  the 
vital  organs  of  our  present  body,  which  are  distinguished 
from  others  by  the  fact  that  they  never  tire  during  life,  but 
continue  their  ceaseless  action  from  birth  to  death. 

What  new  faculties  and  powers  our  souls  will  reveal  in 
the  future  life,  we  do  not  know.  But  we  are  now  only  in  the 
infancy  of  our  being,  and  it  is  quite  possible  that  there  are 
within  our  minds  undeveloped  germs  of  intellectual  powers 
which  must  await  the  higher  conditions  and  activities  of 
the  future  world  for  their  growth  ;  and  which,  in  their  n>atur- 
ity,  may  add  an  inconceivable  glory  and  grandeur  to  the 
redeemed  soul — "It  doth  not  jet  appear  what  we  shall 
be." 

Reader,  let  this  subject  speak  to  your  heart.  "  He  that 
hath  this  hope  in  him,  purifieth  himself  even  as  he  is  pure." 
All  this  fadeless  glory  is  meant  for  you.  You  have  native 
capacity  for  it.  But  neglect  of  God,  and  of  spiritual  cul- 
ture, will  dwarf  and  kill  out  that  noble  capability  of  your 
soul.  Oh,  let  us  live  like  the  immortal  spirits,  which  we  are. 
When    the   cunning  hand    of  death  shall  untie  the  silken 


POSSIBILITIES  OF  THE  REDEEMED.  291 

cords  that  bind  the  spirit  to  the  body,  he  will  at  the  same 
moment  abruptly  break  every  thread  that  connects  you  with 
the  activities  and  possessions  of  this  world.  And  if  you 
have  no  inheritance  beyond  this  life,  you  will  be  a  bank- 
rupt in  the  dying  hour.  The  dark  waves  of  death's  cold 
river  may  be  now  beating  nearer  your  path  than  you  think. 
In  a  few  hours  the  wave  may  come  which  shall  break  your 
last  foothold  and  bear  you  away  from  the  shores  of  time. 

"  Over  the  river  they  beckon  to  thee, 

Loved  ones  who  have  crossed  to  the  farther  side  ; 
The  gleam  of  their  snowy  robes  I  see, 

But  their  voices  are  hushed  in  the  dashing  tide." 


"THESE  ALL  DIED  IN  FAITH." 

[Extracts  from  a  Discourse  delivered  at  the  funeral  of  Rev.  Benjamin 
G.  Paddock.] 


Rev.  J.  B.  Foote. 

E  OBSERVE  a  proclivity  in  the  human  mind 
to  unbelief.  What  can  be  reasoned  out, 
traced  by  some  logical  process,  or  carried 
w~^i\c,iy^  through  a  mathematical  demonstration,  is 
promptly  credited  ;  but  what  is  impalpable  to  the  senses,  or 
undiscoverable  by  the  mind,  or  incomprehensible  to  human 
reason,  is  set  aside.  Such  a  course  is  not  always  honor- 
able to  the  mind  itself.  Faith  is  as  legitimate  and 
honorable  as  reason;  they  should  go  hand  in  hand,  and 
supplement  each  other.  "Faith  is  the  right  and  reason 
the  left  wing  of  the  soul,  as  she  goes  flying  through  the 
universe  to  find  her  Father."  Let  the  right  wing  be  crip- 
pled, and  she  veers  around  and  falls  upon  the  frozen  waste 
of  rationalism.  Let  the  left  wing  be  broken,  and  she 
plunges  into  the  fiery  floods  of  superstition.  But  let  each 
pinion  be  strong  and  fleet,  and  she  lifts  herself  sublimely 
from  earth,  shuns  the  realms  of  ice  and  of  fire  on  either 
hand,  and  soars  home  to  her  Father's  bosom. 

To  die,  seems  terrible  ;  but  to  die  in  faith,  is  glorious  i 


''THESE  ALL  DIED  IN  FAITH y  293 

To  see  one  die,  is  agonizing  ;  but  what  faith  then  sees  so 
changes  the  scene  that  we  exclaim  : 

'"Tis  not  the  Christian,  but  Death  itself  that  dies!" 

Our  precious  friends  who  once  knelt  with  us  at  the  com- 
munion rail,  sang  with  us  the  sweet  songs  of  Zion,  and  to 
whom  we  have  been  united  by  a  thousand  endearing  ties 
— where  are  they?  Alas  !  how  many  lie  beneath  the  wil- 
low or  the  cypress  ?  The  prophets — Isaiah,  Daniel,  Mala- 
chi ;  the  apostles — Paul,  and  John,  and  Thomas ;  the 
martyrs — Stephen,  Ignatius,  Polycarp ;  the  reformers  and 
fathers — Luther,  Wesley,  Asbury,  Iledding,  Gary,  Puffer, 
Ninde,  and  a  host  of  dear  and  honored  ones — where  are 
they?  Departed,  gone,  dead!  These  have  "all  died," 
But  what  an  important  modification  of  the  thouglit  is  given 
by  the  completed  sentence,  "These  all  died  in  faith!" 
Let  us  notice  : 

1.  They  died  in  the  faith  of  a  living  God,  of  a  per 
sonal,  Divine  Christ,  and  of  a  holy  and  all-sufficient 
Sanctifier. 

A  faith  like  this,  which,  beginning  in  God,  sweeps  through 
the  vast  realms  of  his  providence  ;  siaiting  from  the  pres- 
ent, penetrates  eternity  ;  finding  the  soul  polluted  in  sin, 
purifies  it  in  the  cleansing  blood  of  a  Saviour ;  and,  from 
the  mouth  of  hell,  lifts  it  to  the  portals  of  heaven ;  a  faith 
for  the  life  that  now  is,  and  for  the  life  to  come. 

Christian  faith,  in  its  central  element  and  saving  quality, 
is  faith  in  Jesus  ;  recognizing,  taking  him  as  the  one  Divine 
and  perfect  Saviour ;  as  the  proper  and  sufficient  ground 


294  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

of  our  confidence,  object  of  our  love,  center  of  our  hope, 
source  and  substance  of  our  joy,  here  and  hereafter.  This 
is  the  root  of  the  Christian  hfe.  This  is  the  principle 
which  vitally  allies  the  soul  to  God,  gives  it  to  partake  of 
the  Divine  nature.  Tliis  gives  the  Christian  now,  in  this 
life,  a  positive  and  abiding  sympathy  with  tliose  eternal 
realms  of  purity  and  bliss  which  Christ  creates  and  fills 
with  his  own  presence.  This  is  the  principle  of  victory 
and  power.  It  conquers  sin,  gives  vigor  to  effort,  scales 
the  heights  of  difficulty,  removes  mountains,  endures  afflic- 
tions, scatters  the  fears  of  death,  and  opens  the  eye  upon 
enrapturing  visions  of  celestial  glory.  In  such  a  faith  the 
saints  of  all  ages  lived  and  triumphed.  And  they  all  died 
in  this  faith. 

2.  They  died  in  the  faith  of  a  future^  conscious^  and 
joyous  life. 

Every  man  reflects  with  anxious  inquiry  upon  his  future 
destiny.  Whether  our  experience  is  limited  by  the  bounds 
of  this  life,  and  if  not,  by  the  thought,  what  shall  be  the 
character  of  that  existence,  is  a  question  which  stirs  the 
depths  of  every  human  soul.  When  my  body  is  pulseless 
and  cold  ;  when  my  mends  gather  around  to  take  a  last 
look  of  my  lifeless  form ;  when  they  place  me  in  the  dark 
and  silent  grave,  and  leave  me  there  to  moulder ;  and 
when  they  are  visiting  occasionally  the  cypress  shade,  to 
drop  at  my  tomb  the  tear  of  sad  bereavement — shall  /  be 
anywhere  ?  Shall  I  stop  thinking  and  feeling,  when  my 
body  shall  cease  breathing?  If  not,  what  shall  I  be  tliink- 
ing?   what  the  character  of  my  feelings?      I  have  an  inex- 


'THESE  ALL  DIED  IN  FAITH :'  295 


pressible  anxiety  to  know  these  things.  As  I  bend  over  the 
graves  of  my  loved  ones,  as  I  gaze  down  the  dark,  myste- 
rious labyrinth  of  the  unexplored  future,  my  solicitude  to 
know  something  about  death  and  its  sequences  is  absolutely 
irrepressible 

The  Bible  alone  furnishes  the  key  which  can  unlock  the 
problem  of  the  soul's  immortality.  But  once  revealed,  we 
not  only  find  nothing  opposed  to  it  in  nature  or  reason,  but 
much  to  corroborate  it.  Yes,  reason  joins  with  revelation 
to  proclaim, 

"Beyond  the  flight  of  time, 
Beyond  the  vale  of  death. 
There  surely  is  some  blessed  clime 
Where  life  is  not  a  breath." 

The  philosophical  argument  drawn  from  the  innate  long- 
ing  after  continuance  of  being;  from  the  distinctive 
character  of  the  soul's  existence  in  its  essential  attributes 
and  functions  ;  from  the  consciousness  of  personal  identity; 
from  the  disparity  often  seen  between  our  bodily  powers 
and  mental  achievements ;  from  the  universal  notion  of  a 
future  life ;  from  the  incongruiti^  and  absurdities  of  nature 
on  any  other  hypothesis ;  and  from  other  considerations, 
goes  far,  if  not  to  suggest  ^  future  state,  yet  certainly  to 
corroborate  the  Scripture  statement. 

But  we  enjoy  the  higher  privilege  of  standing  within  the 
Bible  temple,  and  where  the  voices  of  clear,  well-demon- 
strated, divinely-attested  truth  are  sounding  all  about  us. 
"For  we  know  that  if  our  earthly  house  of  this  tabernacle 
were  dissolved,  w^  have  a  building  of  God,  a  bouse  not 


296  FIFTY  TEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

made  with  hands,  eternal  in  the  heavens."  "Absent  from 
the  body,  present  with  the  Lord."  "  Then  shall  the  dust 
return  to  the  earth  as  it  was,  and  the  spirit  to  God  who 
gave  it."  "  Fear  not  them  which  kill  the  body,  but  are 
not  able  to  kill  the  soul."  We  can  not  take  time  to  extend 
quotations  or  remarks,  but  how  inspiring  to  feel, 

"Here  is  firm  footing,  here  is  solid  rock." 

"The  stars  may  fade  away,  the  sun  himself 
Grow  dim  with  age,  and  nature  sink  in  years ; 
But  thou  shalt  flourish  in  immortal  youth. 
Unhurt  amid  the  war  of  elements, 
The  wreck  of  nature,  and  the  crush  of  worlds." 

3.     They  died  in  the  faith  of  a  glorious  resurrection. 

Human  nature  asks  not  only  after  the  departing  spirit, 
but  the  dear  forms  we  loved  so  well.  Shall  we  ever  see 
them  again  ?  We  place  them  in  a  beautiful  casket ;  we 
adorn  the  spot  where  we  lay  them  ;  we  erect  the  enduring 
monumental  marble,  and  plant  the  rose  and  myrtle,  but — 
shall  we  ever  see  them  again  ?  To  this  irrepressible  ques- 
tion, revelation  alone  gives  a  clear  answer.  Yet  nature 
furnishes  interesting  and  corroborative  analogies,  to  some 
of  which  the  apostle  alludes  in  his  masterly  argument  in 
first  epistle  to  the  Corinthians.*  We  deposit  the  seed ;  it 
dies,  but  it  soon  reappears  in  real  life.  Our  flesh  is  sown 
— sown  a  natural  body  ;  and  it  is  raised  again — raised  a 
spiritual  body;  raised  in  incorruption.  The  sun  goes  down, 
and  darkness  comes  on ;  but  wait !  the  brightness  of  a 
new  day  triumphs  over  the  niglit.  After  the  night  of  the 
grave,  shall  not  the  morning  dawn?     After  winter — the 


''THESE  ALL  DIED  IN  FAITH:'         297 

cold,  the  night,  the  death  of  winter — comes  the  spring.  It 
visits  the  same  fields,  and  summer  clothes  the  same  valleys 
with  robes  of  beauty.  Will  not  spring  visit  the  moulder- 
ing urn  ?  What  a  striking  emblem  is  the  chrysalis  !  The 
worm  envelops  itself  in  a  case  .and  remains  dormant  for 
awhile  ;  then,  bursting  its  covering,  comes  forth  a  beautiful, 
winged  creature,  to  soar  above  the  earth  with  freedom. 
Will  not  the  dead  burst  from  their  case,  and  walk  forth  in 
robes  of  beauty  ?  Will  not  the  fairest  of  earthly  forms 
outrival  the  groveling  worm  ? 

But  ask  the  inspired  teachers,  and  we  get  not  inferential 
but  authoritative  statements.  Question  Enoch.  Tlis  trans- 
lation is  the  world's  first  picture  of  its  last  and  greatest 
triumph ;  at  once  a  picture  and  a  prophecy.  Inquire  of 
Job.  I  see  the  venerable  patriarch,  with  his  long,  white, 
but  now  disheveled  locks,  clad  in  a  coarse  cloth,  sitting  in 
silence.  Property  gone  in  a  day ;  children  swept  ofi"  at  a 
stroke ;  wife  turned  against  him ;  malignant,  loathsome 
disease  upon  him ;  his  neighbors,  under  the  guise  of  friend- 
ship, using  hard,  reproving  words.  But  I  see  him  rising 
from  the  ashes.  He  brushes  back  his  hoary  locks.  Hark! 
I  hear  him  speak:  "O  that  my  words  were  written  in  a 
book !  that  they  were  graven  with  an  iron  pen  in  the  rock 
forever!"  What  words,  dear,  sad,  but  triumphant  old 
man?  "  I  know  that  my  Redeemer  liveth,  and  that  he 
shall  stand  at  the  latter  day  upon  the  earth  ;  and  though 
after  my  skin,  worms  destroy  this  body,  yet  in  my  flesh 
shall  I  see  God,  whom  I  shall  sec  for  myself,  and  my  eyes 
ghall  behold,  and  not  another."     Ask  David.     ''  jMy  flesh 


298  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 


also  shall  rest  in  hope."  How  speaks  Isaiah.  "Thy 
dead  men  shall  live,  together  with  my  dead  body  shall 
they  rise ;  awake  and  sing,  ye  that  dwell  in  dust,  for  thy 
dew  is  as  the  dew  of  herbs,  and  the  earth  shall  cast  out  her 
dead."  As  the  dew-drop-moistens  the  bud  on  the  plant, 
opens  it,  and  sends  forth  the  beautiful  flower,  so  the  dew 
on  thy  dust  shall  bring  from  the  opening  bud  the  resurrec- 
tion flower  to  bloom  above  forever.  Inquire  of  Daniel. 
"Many  of  them  that  sleep  in  the  dust  of  the  earth  shall 
awake.  Some  to  everlasting  life,  and  some  to  shame  and 
everlasting  contempt."  "And  they  that  be  wise  shall 
shine  as  the  brightness  of  the  firmament,  and  they  that 
turn  many  to  righteousness,  as  the  stars  forever  and  ever." 
O  may  you  and  I  be  there  to  shine — to  shine  as  the  stars, 
forever  and  ever!  And  let  us  listen  to  the  words  of 
Jesus:  "The  hour  is  coming  when  all  who  are  in  theif 
graves  shall  hear  the  voice  of  the  Son  of  God,  and  shall 
come  forth."  When  Martha  suggested  in  reference  to  her 
brother,  "I  know  he  shall  rise  again  at  the  last  day"— the 
Jewish  faith  in  the  doctrine — Jesus  confirmed  it,  and 
added  to  it  by  saying,  "I  am  the  resurrection  and  the 
life."  "Marvel  not,  for  the  hour  is  coming  when  all  that 
are  in  their  graves  shall  hear  his  voice,  and  shall  come 
forth ;  they  that  have  done  good,  unto  the  resurrection  of 
life,  and  they  that  have  done  evil,  unto  the  resurrection  of 
damnation."  Paul  repeats  it:  "There  shall  be  a  resur- 
rection, both  of  the  just  and  unjust,"  and  argues  it  at 
length;  and  John's  Apocalyptic  visions  of  "the  dead, 
small  and  great,  standing  before  God,"  presented  in  the 


''THESE  ALL  DIED  IN  FAITHS         299 

final  book  of  Revelation,  gives  us  the  climax  of  the  argu- 
ment, and  leaves  nothing  necessary  to  confirm  us  in  this 
most  inspiring  faith  of  a  prospective  and  glorious  resur 
rection. 

How  sublime  these  views  suggested  by  our  text:  "These 
all  died  in  faith."  How  rich  the  spiritual  realizations  ! 
What  sublimity  of  hope  !  How  inspiring  to  the  soul !  Such 
a  faith  uplifts  a  man,  is  soul-girding,  ennobling,  unites 
to  God,  and  opens  heaven.  By  this  we  rise  superior  tv) 
foe,  or  fear,  or  death.  Let  consumption  quaff  my  life's 
blood,  let  fever  scorch  and  burn  my  brain,  or  the  pesti- 
lence sweep  by  like  a  fierce  sirocco,  yet  I  shall  live  !  Let 
fire  burn  my  house,  I  have  a  better!  Let  floods  of  water 
destroy  my  property — all  take  wings  and  fly  aw;iy,  I  have 
nnfailing  treasures  !  How  consoling,  when  we  bury  Christ- 
ian friends,  as  we  often  must,  for 

"Friend  after  friend  departs — 
Who  has  not  lost  a  friend?" 

to  realize  that  they  are  not  lost ;  we  know  where  they  are, 
and  how  to  find  them  !  They  are  only  gone  in  advance  of 
us,  and  when  the  Master  bids,  we  shall  be  permitted  to 
join  them. 


THE  SAINTS  DIE  WELL 


A  HAPPY  OLD  AGE,  AND  A  TRIUMPHANT  DEATH. 


KEY.  BENJAMIN  G.  PADDOCK. 

ANY  people,  possibly  indeed   most,  suppose 
that  old  men  are  necessarily  peevish,  sour, 
sorrowful,   melancholy,    or   the  like.      That 
t^-^^A^^     many  old   men  are  so,  can  not  be  denied. 


The  tide  of  unchanged,  un  sanctified  human  nature,  is 
doubtless  in  that  direction;  and  hence  the  palpable  fact, 
that  there  are  aged  people  who  feel  nothing  but  darkness 
and  gloom  within  themselves,  and  see  nothing  but  dark- 
ness and  gloom  in  all  that  surrounds  them.  The  sources 
of  sensual  enjoyment  now  all  dried  up,  they  see  no  other 
sources  open  to  them.  The  retrospect  of  the  past,  the 
facts  of  the  present,  and  the  anticipations  of  the  future 
are  alike  unsatisfactory ;  so  that  the  spontaneous  inquiry 
is,  "Who  will  show  us  any  good?" — a  query  not  to  be 
solved  by  any  light  at  their  comnumd.  No  wonder,  then, 
tliat  they  are  wretched.  It  would  be  wonderful,  were  it 
otherwise.  Such,  however,  is  not  the  destiny  of  those 
who  "live  not  unto  themselves,  but  unto  Him  who  died 
for  them,  and  rose  again;"  who  have  dedicated  them- 
selves to  God,  and  to  humanity  ;  in  a  word,  have  practically 

800 


A  TRIUMPHANT  DEATH.  301 


regarded  it  as  the  chief  end  of  tlieir  being,  to  glorify  God 
on  earth,  as  well  as  to  enjoy  Him  forever  in  heaven. 

Thus  it  was  with  the  good  man,  of  whose  last  days  we 
itre  now  speaking.  Though  conscious  of  many  short-com- 
ings, and  deeply  sorrowful  that  he  had  done  so  little  for 
God,  and  for  the  salvation  of  his  fellow-men,  yet  feelini; 
that  he  had  aimed  at  doing  his  whole  duty,  and  exercising 
an  implicit  faith  in  the  great  atonement,  he  not  onlv 
rejoiced  in  hope  of  the  glory  of  God,  but  had  a  smile  and 
a  friendly  hand  for  every  human  being.  Nor  did  the  pro- 
gress of  disease  much  abate  his  cheerfulness.  His  flesh 
and  his  heart  might  fail,  but  God  was  the  strength  of  his 
heart,  and  his  portion  forever.  Down  to  the  last  moment, 
God  was  his  light  and  his  salvation.  The  dark  valley  had 
no  terrors  for  him.  lie  felt  assured  that  the  heavenly 
Shepherd  would  not  only  attend  him  through  it,  but  lead 
him  to  living  ft)untains  of  water  beyond  it.  lie  was  going 
home,  and  rejoiced  at  the  prospect. 

He  had  expressed  solicitude  to  see  his  brotlier  before  he 
went  hence,  and  especially,  as  he  wished  to  leave  in  his 
hands  papers  he  had  been  writing.  That  brother,  being 
informed  of  the  critical  state  of  his  health,  and  of  his 
earnest  desire  to  see  him,  hastened  to  Metuchen.  When 
he  reached  his  bedside,  the  dying  patriarch  stretched  out 
his  hand,  and  grasping  his  brother's,  said — a  smile  playing 
on  his  cheek,  and  joy  sparkling  in  his  eye — "  Zechariah.,  1 
shall  heat  you,  after  all;''''  referring,  doubtless,  to  a  sup- 
posed prospect  that  had  for  a  time  previously  existed,  that 
his  brother  might  precede  him  in  the  final  journey.     Noth- 


302  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

ing  could  have  been  either  more  characteristic,  or  more 
affecting  to  those  who  stood  about  the  bed.  The  brother 
replied  :  "It  looks  so  now ;  but  I  want  to  say  to  you,  in 
language  I  used  to  hear  you  sing  a  long  time  since, 

"  'If  you  get  there  before  I  do, 

Look  out  for  me,  I'm  coming  too ; 
Glory  alleluia!'" 

It  would  be  difficult  *to  describe  the  effect  which  this  quota- 
tion had  upon  the  dying  patriarch.  While  it  transported 
him  back  to  other  days  and  other  scenes,  it  seemed  at  the 
same  time  to  open  to  his  view  the*  glories  of  the  celestial 
city.  As  if  borne  onward  and  upward,  by  a  tide  of  irre- 
pressible emotion,  he  broke  out  in  transports  of  joy,  almost 
literally  saying  with  the  dying  Fletcher,  "  O  for  a  gust  ot 
praise  to  go  to  the  ends  of  the  earth!"  The  scene  sug- 
gested to  one  present.  Rev.  19 :  6,  which  was  quoted  as 
being  appropriate  to  the  feelings  of  a  good  man,  when  he 
contemplates  the  government  of  God — even  though  he 
should  be  passing  through  the  Jordan  of  death.  He  seized 
upon  the  words,  "Alleluia,  for  the  Lord  God  Omnipo- 
tent reigneth,"  and  repeated  them  again  and  again,  with 
an  emphasis  and  a  power  that  might  not  inaptly  be  char- 
acterized as  unearthly.  An  hour  or  two  later,  in  the  even- 
ing, being  left  alone  with  his  son-in-law.  Dr.  Lathrop,  of 
Cooperstown,  N.  Y.,  he  said  to  him,  "  I  know  you  do  not 
sing  ;  but  when  you  see  that  the  struggle  is  over,  and  I  am 
gone,  I  want  you  and  all  present  to  say,  '  Alleluia ;  the 
Lord  God  Omnipotent  reigneth;'"  as  if  at  that  solemn 
moment  he  would  have  the  chorus  of  earth  mingle  with 


W£8 LET'S  OLD  AGE  AND  DEATH.     .'{u3 

the  chorus  of  heaven.     This  was  on  Tuesday  evt'iiing-.  the 

second  day  of  October.      He  lingered  in  the  same  heavenly 

frame  till  the  following  Saturday  evening,  when  lie  entered 

into  rest.     About  noon  of  that  day,  he  evidently  thought 

himself  dying;  and  turning  himself  slightly  in  bed,  said, 

very  distinctly,  though  in  a  whisper,  ''Farewell;   alk-hiia; 

all  is  well!"     These  w^ere  the  last  words  he  ever  uttered. 

Whether  conscious  or  not,  he  made  no  further  effort  to  be 

understood,  but  qnietly  breathed  on  till  about  nine  o'clock, 

when 

"The  wheels  of  weary  life  stood  still." 

At  the  moment  this  occurred,  not  only  the  family,  but 
many  others  were  present,  all  of  whom  joined  in  the 
Apocalyptic  ''Alleluia,  the  Lord  God  Onmipotent  reign- 
eth!"  with  unutterable  emotion. 


JOHN  WESLEY'S  OLD  AGE  AKD  DEATH. 

On  his  last  birthday,  he  writes:  "This  day  I  enter  into 
my  eighty-eighth  year.  For  above  eighty-six  years,  I  found 
none  of  the  infirmities  of  old  age  ;  my  eye  did  not  wax  dim, 
neither  was  my  natural  strength  abated.  But  last  autumn, 
I  found  almost  a  sudden  change;  my  eyes  were  so  dim, 
that  no  glasses  would  help  me ;  my  strength  forsook  me, 
and  probably  will  not  return  in  this  world.  But  I  feel  no 
pain,  from  head  to  foot ;  only  it  seems  nature  is  exhausted, 
and,  humanely  speaking,  will  sink  more  and  more,  till  '  The 
weary  wheels  of  life  stand  still  at  last!'  " 


304  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

He  preached  his  last  sermon  at  Leatherhead  Woods, 
February  3,  1791,  from  Isaiah  55:  6 — "Seek  ye  the  Lord 
while  he  may  be  found ;  call  ye  upon  him  while  he  is  near." 
He  concluded  the  service  by  singing  Charles  Wesley's 
hymn,  commencing, 

"O  that  without  a  lingering  groan, 
I  may  the  welcome  word  receive; 
My  body  with  my  charge  lay  down, 
And  cease  at  once  to  work  and  live." 

His  death  occurred  on  the  2d  of  March  following.  This 
is  described  as  follows  : 

The  dying  hour  came.  The  Christian  warrior  of  many 
battles  is  about  to  lay  off  his  armor,  and  retire  to  rest. 
Looking  over  the  whole  of  an  extended  life  of  great  labor 
and  wonderful  success,  he  exclaimed, 

"I  the  chief  of  sinners  am, 
But  Jesus  died  for  me." 

The  day  following,  he  was  heard  to  say:   "There  is  no 
way  into  the  holiest,  but  by  the  blood  of  Jesus." 

He  frequently,  with  a  full  heart,  sang  his  rapturous 
hymn : 

"I'll  praise  my  Maker  while  I've  breath.-" 

The  tide  of  life  is  rapidly  ebbing,  but  light  from  the 
realms  above  i-eveals  to  his  enraptured  soul  the  glories  of 
his  eternal  home.  Collecting  all  his  remaining  strength, 
he  joyfully  exclaims  :  "  The  best  of  all  is,  God  is  with  us." 
The  chamber  where  the  good  man  gathers  up  his  feet  in 
death  seems  radiant  with  the  divine  glory.     A  few  of  his 


iM  rSOJV'S  TRWMPHANT  DEA  TIL      'M){ 


preacliers  and  intimate  friends  were  there — Bradford,  lonw 
liis  traveling  coiupanion  ;  Whitehead,  afterward  his  biogra- 
pher; Rogers,  and  his  devoted  wife,  Hester  Ann,  who 
ministered  to  him  in  his  last  hours ;  the  amiable  widow  of 
Charles  AVesley,  and  a  few  others.  Thej  knelt  around  his 
couch.  Bradford  prajed,  and  the  dying  saint  exclaimed, 
"Til  praise!  I'll  praise!"  then  with  a  low  and  almost 
angelic  whisper,  he  said,  "Farewell."  It  was  his  last. 
And  while  thej  lingered  in  silent  pleading,  without  a 
struggle  or  a  sigh, 

"The  weary  wheels  of  life  stood  still." 

Hester  Ann  Rogers,  who  was  present,  says:  "  A  cloud 
of  the  Divine  presence  rested  on  all ;  and  while  he  could 
hardly  be  said  to  be  an  inhabitant  of  earth,  being  now 
speechless,  and  his  eyes  fixed,  victory  and  glory  were  writ- 
ten on  his  countenance,  and  quivered,  as  it  were,  on  his 
dying  lips.  No  language  can  paint  what  appeared  in  that 
face." 


PAYSON'S  JOYFUL  EXPERIENCES,  AND 
TRIUMPHANT  DEATH. 

He  was  asked,  by  a  friend,  if  he  could  see  any  particular 
reason  for  this  dispensation.  He  replied,  "No;  but  I  am 
as  well  satisfied  as  if  I  could  see  ten  thousand  reasons.'' 

In  a  letter  dictated  to  his  sister,  he  writes  :  "Were  I  to 
adopt  the  figurative  language  of  Bunyan,  I  might  date  this 
letter  from  the  land  of  Beulah,  of  which  I  have  been  for 
some  time  such  a  happy  inhabitant.     The  celestial  city  is 


806  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

full  in  view.  Its  glories  beam  upon  me ;  its  breezes  fan 
me ;  its  odors  are  wafted  to  me ;  its  sounds  strike  upon  my 
ears,  and  its  spirit  is  breathed  into  my  lieart.  Nothing 
separates  me  from  it  but  the  river  of  deatli,  which  now 
appears  as  an  insignificant  rill,  which  can  be  crossed  at  a 
single  step,  whenever  God  shall  give  permission.  The 
Sun  of  Righteousness  has  been  gradually  drawing  nearer 
and  nearer,  appearing  larger  and  brighter  as  he  approached, 
and  now  fills  the  whole  hemisphere,  pouring  forth  a  flood 
of  glory,  in  which  I  seem  to  float  like  an  insect  in  the 
beams  of  the  sun,  exulting,  yet  almost  trembling,  while  I 
gaze  on  this  excessive  brightness,  and  wondering  why  God 
should  deign  thus  to  shine  upon  a  sinful  worm." 

On  being  asked,  "  Do  you  feel  reconciled  ?  "  he  replied, 
"  O,  that  is  too  cold  ;  I  rejoice  ;  I  triumph  ;  and  this  hap- 
piness will  endure  as  long  as  God  himself,  for  it  consists 
in  admiring  and  adoring  Him.  I  can  find  no  words  to 
express  my  happiness.  I  seem  to  be  swimming  in  a  river  of 
pleasure,  which  is  carrying  me  to  the  great  fountain.  It 
seems  as  if  all  the  bottles  in  heaven  were  opened,  and  all 
its  fullness  and  happiness  have  come  down  into  my  heart. 
God  has  been  depriving  me  of  one  blessing  after  another, 
but  as  each  one  has  removed,  he  has  come  in  and  filled  up 
its  place.  If  God  had  told  me  sometime  ago,  that  he  was 
about  to  make  me  as  happy  as  I  could  be  in  this  world, 
and  that  he  should  begin  by  crippling  me  in  all  my  limbs, 
and  removing  from  me  all  my  usual  sources  of  enjoyment, 
I  should  have  thought  it  a  very  strange  mode  of  accom- 
plishing his  purposes.     Now,  when  I  am  a  cripple,  and  not 


PA  rSOJV'S  TETUMPEiiNT  DEA  TH.    307 

able  to  move,  I  am  happier  than  I  ever  was  in  my  life 
before,  or  ever  expected  to  be. 

"It  has  often  been  remarked,  that  people  who  have 
passed  into  the  other  world,  can  not  come  back  to  tell  us 
what  they  have  seen;  but  I  am  so  near  the  eternal  world, 
that  I  can  almost  see  as  clearly  as  if  I  were  there ;  and  I 
see  enough  to  satisf}'  me  of  the  truth  of  the  doctrines  I 
have  preached.  I  do  not  know  that  I  sliould  feel  at  all 
surer  had  I  been  really  there." 

''Watchman,  what  of  the  night!"  asked  a  gray-headed 
member  of  his  church.  "I  should  think  it  was  about 
noonday,"  replied  the  dying  Payson. 

The  ruling  passion  being  strong  in  death,  he  sent  a 
request  to  his  pulpit,  that  his  people  should  repair  to  his 
sick-chamber.  They  did  so  in  specified  classes,  a  few  at  a 
time,  and  received  his  dying  message. 

To  the  young  men  of  his  congregation,  he  said :  "I  felt 
desirous  that  you  might  see  that  the  religion  I  have 
preached  can  support  me  in  death.  You  know  that  I  have 
many  ties  which  bind  me  to  earth;  a  family  to  which  I  am 
strongly  attached,  and  a  people  whom  I  love  almost  as 
well ;  but  the  other  world  acts  like  a  much  stronger  magnet, 
and  draws  my  heart  away  from  this. 

"Death  comes  every  night,  and  stands  by  my  bedside 
in  the  form  of  terrible  convulsions,  every  one  of  which 
threatens  to  separate  the  soul  from  the  body.  These  grow 
worse  and  worse,  till  every  bone  is  almost  dislocated  with 
pain.  Yet,  while  my  body  is  thus  tortured,  my  soul  is 
perfectly,  perfectly  happy  and   peaceful.     I  lie  here  and 


808  FIFTY  TEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

feel  these  convulsions  extending  higher  and  higher,  but  my 
soul  is  filled  with  joy  unspeakable!  I  seem  to  swim  in  a 
flood  of  glory,  which  God  pours  down  upon  me.  Is  it  a 
delusion,  that  can  fill  the  soul  to  overflowing  with  joy  in 
such  circumstances  ?  If  so,  it  is  a  delusion  better  than  any 
reality.  It  is  no  delusion.  I  feel  it  is  not.  I  enjoy  this 
happiness  now.  And  now,  standing  as  I  do,  on  the  ridge 
that  separates  the  two  worlds — feeling  what  intense  hap- 
piness the  soul  is  capable  of  sustaining,  and  judging  of 
your  capacities  by  my  own,  and  believing  that  those 
capacities  will  be  filled  to  the  very  brim  with  joy  or  wretch- 
edness forever,  my  heart  yearns  over  you,  my  children, 
that  you  may  choose  life,  and  not  death.  I  long  to  present 
every  one  of  you  with  a  cup  of  happiness,  and  see  you 
drink  it." 

"A  young  man,"  he  continued,  "just  about  to  leave  the 
world,  exclaimed,  'The  battle's  fought,  the  battle's  fought, 
but  the  victory  is  lost  forever!'  But  I  can  say.  The  battle's 
fought — and  the  victory  is  won — the  victory  is  won  forever ! 
I  am  going  to  bathe  in  the  ocean  of  purity,  and  benevo- 
lence, and  happiness,  to  all  eternity.  And  now,  my 
shildren,  let  me  bless  you,  not  with  the  blessing  of  a  poor, 
feeble,  dying  man,  but  with  the  blessing  of  the  infinite 
Grod."     He  then  pronounced  the  apostolical  benediction. 

A  friend  said  to  him,  "  I  presume  it  is  no  longer  incredi- 
ble to  you,  that  martyrs  should  rejoice  and  praise  God  in 
the  flames  and  on  the  rack?" 

"No,"  said  he;  "lean  easily  believe  it.  I  have  suf- 
fered twenty  times  as  much  as  I  could  in  being  burned  at 


PA  YSON'  S  TRIUMPHANT  DEA  Til.     309 

the  stake,  while  my  joy  in  God  so  abounded  as  to  render 
my  sufferings  not  only  tolerable,  but  welcome." 

At  another  time,  he  said:  "  God  is  literally  now  my  all 
in  all.  While  He  is  present  with  me,  no  event  can  in  the 
least  diminish  my  happiness  ;  and  were  the  whole  world  at 
my  feet,  trying  to  minister  to  my  comfort,  they  could  not 
add  one  drop  to  my  cup." 

To  Mrs.  Paj'son,  who  observed  to  him,  "Your  head  feels 
hot,  and  seems  to  be  distended ;"  he  replied:  "It  seems 
as  if  the  soul  disdained  such  a  narrow  prison,  and  was 
determined  to  break  through  with  an  angel's  energy,  and  I 
trust  with  no  small  portion  of  an  angel's  feeling,  until  it 
mounts  on  high." 

"It  seems  as  if  my  soul  had  found  a  new  pair  of  wings, 
and  was  so  eager  to  try  them,  that  in  her  fluttering,  she 
would  rend  the  fine  network  of  the  body  in  pieces." 

The   Closing  Scene. 

On  Sabbath,  October  21,  1827,  his  last  agony  com- 
menced, attended  with  that  labored  breathing,  and  rattling 
in  the  throat,  which  rendered  articulation  extremely  diffi- 
cult. His  daughter  was  summoned  from  the  Sabbath- 
school,  and  received  his  dying  kiss,  and  "God  bless  you, 
my  daughter."  He  smiled  on  a  group  of  church  mem- 
bers, and  exclaimed,  with  holy  emphasis,  "Peace,  peace! 
victory!"  He  smiled  on  his  wife  and  children,  and  said,  in 
the  language  of  dying  Joseph,  "I  am  gohig,  but  God  will 
surely  be  with  you  !" 

He  rallied  from  the  death  conflict,  and  said  to  his  phy- 
sician, "that  although  he  had  siiffered  the  pangs  of  death. 


310  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

and  got  almost  within  the  gates  of  Paradise,  yet,  if  it  was 
God's  will  that  he  should  come  back  and  suffer  still  more, 
he  was  resigned."  He  passed  through  a  similar  scene  in 
the  afternoon,  and  again  revived. 

On  Monday  morning,  his  dying  agonies  returned  in  all 
their  severity.  For  three  hours,  every  breath  was  a 
groan.  On  being  asked  if  his  sufferings  were  greater  than 
on  the  preceding  Sunday  night,  he  answered,  "incompar- 
ably greater."  He  said  the  greatest  temporal  blessing  of 
which  he  could  conceive,  would  be  one  breath  of  air. 

Mrs.  Payson,  fearing  from  the  expression  of  suffering  on 
his  countenance,  that  he  was  in  mental  distress,  questioned 
him.  He  replied,  "  Faith  and  patience  hold  out."  These 
were  the  last  words  of  the  dying  Christian  hero. 

He  gradually  sunk  away,  till  about  the  going  down  of 
the  sun,  his  chastened  and  purified  spirit,  all  mantled  with 
the  glory  of  Christian  triumph  in  life  and  death,  ascended 
to  share  the  everlasting  glory  of  his  Redeemer,  before  the 
eternal  throne. 


THE  BEST  OF  ALL. 

Bishop  Bdtler,  upon  his  death-bed,  sank  into  despond- 
ency under  a  sense  of  his  sinfulness.  "My  Lord,"  said 
his  chaplain,  "you  forget  that  Jesus  is  a  Saviour." 
"True,""  replied  the  Bishop,  "  but  how  shall  I  know  that 
he  is  a  Saviour  for  me?"  "My  Lord,  it  is  written,  '  Him 
that  cometh  unto  me,  I  will  in  nowise  cast  out'  "  "  True," 
said  the  Bishop,  "and  I  have  read  that  Scripture  a  thou- 


THE  BEST  OF  ALL.  311 

sand  times,  but  I  never  felt  its  full  value  until  this  moment; 
stop  there !  for  now  I  die  happy." 

"For  all  I  have  preached  or  written,"  said  Mr. 
James  Durham,  "  there  is  but  one  Scripture  I  can  remem- 
ber, or  dare  grip  to.  Tell  me  if  I  dare  lay  the  weight  of 
my  salvation  upon  it.  '  Ilim  that  cometli  unto  me  I  will 
in  nowise  cast  out.'"  His  friend  replied,  "You  may, 
indeed,  depend  upon  it,  though  you  had  a  thousand  salva- 
tions at  hazard."  A  glance  of  joy  lighted  up  the  soul  of 
the  dying  saint,  under  the  radiance  of  which  he  was  ushered 
into  the  glory  and  brightness  of  eternity. 

The  following  incident  is  another  example  of  one  who, 
in  his  low  estate,  grasped  this  cord  let  down  to  reach  the 
lowest — grasped  it  with  feeble,  dying  hands,  and  was  drawn 
forth  by  means  of  it  into  life  and  light  and  full  salvation. 

It  was  a  sorrowful  company  to  whom  I  was  introduced, 
composed  of  old  and  young,  but  a  wasted  figure  in  the 
chimney-corner  fixed  my  attention.  He  was  crouched  on 
a  low  stool,  with  his  head  buried  in  his  hands,  and  leaning 
on  the  great  wooden  coal-box,  which  served  as  a  sofa  for 
the  feebler  patients.  His  life  was  evidently  drawing  near 
to  its  close,  and  he  seemed  scarcely  able  to  support  him- 
self on  his  seat.  But  he  suffered  more  in  bed  he  said,  and 
so  he  sat  up  as  much  as  possible.  In  the  course  of  conver- 
sation, I  repeated  the  various  offers  and  invitations  ot 
"Him  with  whom  we  have  to  do,"  ending  with  these 
words,  '-''And  him  that  cometh  to  7ne,  I  will  in  nowise  cast 
out.''''  In  feeble,  faltering  accents  he  repeated  them  after 
me,  adding,  "  I  think  that  is  the  best  word  in  all  the  Bible." 


312  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

BISHOP  HAVEN'S  LAST  HOURS. 

To  a  friend  he  said:  "  The  first  Sunday  in  the  new  year 
I  shall  spend  in  glory."  So  real  was  this  "glory"  to  the 
man  who  was  so  soon  to  enter  it,  that  he  and  his  widowed 
sister,  Mrs.  Cox,  spoke  together  of  the  message  which  he 
was  to  take  from  her  to  her  husband.  "  Gilbert,  you  know 
what  I  told  you  to  tell  Wilbur?"  "  Yes,"  was  his  reply, 
"I  will  remember  it  all,  and  will  deliver  your  message." 
As  time  drew  on,  he  remarked  that  he  had  in  the  morning 
sent  for  Dr.  Garrett,  who  had  promised  to  come  to  him  at 
four  o'clock  that  afternoon.  "You  will  countermand  the 
order  to  Dr.  Garrett,"  he  said ;  "I  have  no  need  for  him. 
I  am  going  where  the  inhabitants  shall  never  say,  '  I  am 
sick.'"  To  his  friend.  Dr.  Upliam,  he  said:  "Preach  a 
whole  Christ,  a  whole  Gospel,  a  whole  heaven,  a  whole 
hell,  a  whole  Bible."  To  another  he  said  :  "  Stand  by  the 
old  Church."  Then,  referring  to  his  own  experience,  he 
said  :  "  It  is  so  delightful  dying — it  is  so  pleasant,  so  beau- 
tiful—the angels  are  here — God  lifts  me  up  in  his  arms.  I 
can  not  see  the  river  of  death — there  is  no  river — it  is  all 
light — I  am  floating  away  from  earth  up  into  heaven— I  am 
gliding  away  unto  God."  One  of  his  friends  inquired  of 
liini  :  "Is  it  all  right?"  "Yes,"  said  he;  and  again, 
"I  have  not  a  cloud  over  my  mind ;  I  believe  the  gospel, 
all  through,"  with  a  characteristic  emphasis  on  the  "all 
through."  It  was  now  four  o'clock,  and  the  sun  of  that 
winter  day  was  going  down ;  but  to  him  there  was  no  dark- 
ness.    The  last  of  the  throm;-  o*"  visitors  at  this  strange 


BISHOP  HA  YEN'S  LAST  HO UliS       313 

"  reception  "  was  Prof.  Lindsay,  to  whom,  when  taking  his 
leave,  the  Bishop  said:  "Good  evening,  Doctor.  Wlien 
we  next  meet  it  will  be,  good  morning." 

After  all  the  visitors  had  retired,  he  said  :  "  Now  we  are 
alone,  and  mnst  have  a  little  time  with  our  own  family. 
Here  are  my  two  sisters,  my  two  children.  "Wliere  is  my 
mother?"  And  when  she  was  brought  in,  they  stood  in  a 
circle  around  his  bed  in  order  that  he  might  see  them  all. 
But  his  sight  was  failing,  and  looking  around  the  circle,  he 
said  :  "Are  we  all  alone  ?"  And  upon  being  satisfied  u.pon 
this  point,  he  gave  the  last  of  himself  away  to  God,  and  to 
those  on  earth  whom  he  loved  the  best ;  taking  their  hands 
one  by  one  and  saying,  "This  is  my  dear,  dearest  mother; 
Mamie,  my  little  sunbeam — dear,  pretty  one;  Willie,  my 
noble  son  ;"  and  then  recurred  the  name  which  he  was 
ever  whispering  in  the  intervals  of  conversation  :  "  Precious 
Jesus,  blessed  Jesus." 

There  was  another  name,  also — the  name  of  her  who  had 
been  a  constant  presence  in  his  soul,  though  for  fourteen 
years  she  had  also  been  a  presence  among  the  angels  ol  God, 

On  the  night  before  his  election  to  the  Episcopacy,  being 
in  the  company  of  a  few  choice  friends,  he  said  :  "  I  would 
willingly  start  and  make  a  pilgrimage  around  the  earth,  on 
foot,  to  spend  one  hour  with  my  Mary."  And  when  he 
knew  he  was  about  to  die,  he  said,  as  if  overwhelmed  by 
the  weary  labors  and  journeyings  through  which  and  over 
which  he  had  dragged  himself  in  spite  of  sickness  and 
sorrow  and  pain,  for  all  these  long,  lonesome  years  :  "After 
I  have  seen  the  Lord,  I  shall  want  to  rest  for  the  tirst 
tJiousand  vears  with   my  head  in  the  lap  of  my  Mary," 


314  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

SOEKOW  FOR  THE  DEAD. 

The  sorrow  for  the  dead  is  the  only  sorrow  from  which 
we  refuse  to  be  divorced.  Every  other  wound  we  seek  to 
heal ;  every  other  affliction  to  forget ;  but  this  wound  we 
consider  it  our  duty  to  keep  open  ;  this  affliction  we  cherish 
and  brood  over  in  secret. 

Where  is  the  mother  who  would  willingly  forget  the 
infant  that  perished  like  a  blossom  from  her  arms,  though 
every  recollection  is  a  pang  ?  Where  is  the  child  that 
would  willingly  forget  the  most  tender  of  parents,  though 
to  remember  be  but  to  lament  ?  Who,  even  in  the  hour  of 
agony,  would  forget  the  friend  over  whom  he  mourns  ? 
No  ;  the  love  which  survives  the  tomb  is  one  of  the  noblest 
attributes  of  the  soul.  If  it  has  its  woes,  it  has  likewise 
its  delights  ;  and  when  the  one  overwhelming  burst  of 
grief  is  calmed  into  the  gentle  tear  of  recollection ;  when 
the  sudden  anguish  and  the  convulsive  agony  over  the  pres- 
ent ruins  of  all  that  we  most  loved  is  softened  away  into 
pensive  meditation  on  all  that  it  was  in  the  days  of  its  love- 
liness— who  would  root  out  such  a  sorrow  from  the  heart  ? 
Though  it  may  sometimes  throw  a  passing  cloud  over  the 
bright  hour  of  gaiety,  or  spread  a  deeper  sadness  over  the 
hour  of  gloom,  yet  who  would  exchange  it,  even  for  a  song  of 
pleasure,  or  the  burst  of  revelry  ?  No  ;  there  is  a  voice  from 
the  tomb  sweeter  than  song.  There  is  a  remembrance  of  the 
dead  to  which  we  turn  even  from  the  charms  of  the  living! 

Oh  !  the  grave  !  the  grave !  it  buries  every  error,  covers 
every  defect,  extinguishes  every  resentment.  From  its 
peaceful  bosom  spring  none  but  lona  regrets  and  tender 


DYING  WOJRDS.  315 

recollections.  Who  can  look  down  upon  the  grave  of  even 
an  enemy,  and  not  feel  a  conipunctuous  throb,  that  lie 
should  ever  have  warred  with  the  poor  handful  of  earth 
that  lies  mouldering  before  him.  —Iriing. 


DYING  WORDS. 

The  late  Rev.  Dr.  Putnam  wrote,  on  his  last  birthday, 
to  a  friend,  the  following  touchingly  beautiful  descriptii>n 
of  the  state  of  feeling  in  which  he  saw  his  end  approach- 
ing: "There  are  two  kinds  of  happiness  fur  man.  The 
first  and  best  is  ?^o/'^'— useful,  unimpeded  work.  This  is 
highest.  It  gives  a  sense  of  life  and  gi-owth.  With  rea- 
sonable success,  it  is  God's  best  boon.  The  second  is  rest. 
When  the  powers  flag,  and  the  woi'k  can  not  be  done,  to  sit 
still,  and  think,  and  remember,  and  hojie.  This  last  kind  I 
am  trying,  and  I  succeed  in  it.  I  enjoy  life  about  as  weh 
as  ever  I  did.  I  get  reconciled  to  doing  nothing.  1  miss 
the  bounding  delight  of  exertion,  but  I  escape  the  partial 
sense  of  failure,  the  haunting  feeling  that  I  do  not  (piite 
come  up  to  the  mark,  and  the  anxious  uncertainty  about 
further  efforts.  I  sit  waiting.  Friends  are  kind,  children 
good,  and  the  world  goes  fairly  well  with  me.  I  think,  on 
the  whole,  I  never  liked  living  better.  The  summer  is 
beautiful.  I  wait  for  winter,  and  for  summer  again,  if  it 
comes,  with  placid  expectation,  but  shall  not  be  disap- 
pointed if  it  does  not  come.     Then  I  shall  have  the  great 

beyond  instead My  cup  is  full.     Providence  is 

kind.    If  I  am  dying,  it  is  euthanasia, " 


316  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

UNDIVIDED  IN  DEATH. 

An  aged  husband  and  his  okl  wife  went  hand  in  hand 
to  the  gate  of  deatli.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dickson,  for  conven- 
ience in  attendance  during  their  sickness,  were  phiced  in 
separate  bed-rooms.  The  heads  of  the  beds  were  placed 
against  a  thin  partition,  which,  having  an  open  door,  per- 
mitted the  two  old  people  to  converse,  though  not  able 
to  see  each  other. 

The  night  before  the  husband  died,  his  wife  heard  him 
groaning,  and  was  anxious  to  be  with  him.  Soon  she  was 
informed  that  he  was  dying,  and  in  order  that  they  might 
be  near  each  other,  the  beds  were  so  moved  as  to  bring 
them  parallel  with  the  partition,  the  heads  opposite  the 
door. 

This  done,  the  fond  wife  reached  out  her  hand,  grasped 
her  husband's  hand,  and  held  it  during  his  last  moments. 
Thus,  death  found  them — as  fifty-one  years  before  the 
marriage  ceremony  left  them — ^joined  hand  in  hand.  It 
was  a  simple  and  affectionate  token  of  the  love  of  a  long 
life.  The  day  following,  the  wife  folded  her  arms  in  the 
sleep  of  death. 


THE  OLD  MAN  OF  DARTMOOR 

There  was  an  old  man  of  Dartmoor,  who  for  many  years 
obtained  his  livelihood  by  looking  after  the  cattle  distribu- 
ted over  those  wild  ujooi-land  hills.  At  last,  through  in- 
firmity and  old  age,  and  the  constant  and  unusual  exposure 


TBE  OLD  MAN  OF  DARTMOOR.        317 

to  all  kinds  of  weather,  liis  sight  entirely  failed  liiin,  so  that 
he  had  to  seek  an  asylum  in  one  of  the  west  of  England 
iniirniaries,  to  end  his  brief  remaining  days.  While  there,  he 
was  frequently  visited  by  one  of  his  granddaughters,  who 
would  occasionally  read  to  him  portions  of  the  Word  of  God. 

One  day,  wlicn  this  little  girl  was  reading  to  him  the 
first  chapter  of  the  tirst  epistle  of  John,  when  she  reached 
the  seventh  verse,  "And  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ,  His 
Son,  cleanseth  us  from  all  sin,"  the  old  man  raised  himself, 
and  stopped  the  little  girl,  saying,  with  great  earnestness : 

"Is  that  there,  my  dear?" 

"  Yes,  grandpa." 

"Then  read  it  to  me  again;  I  never  heard  the  like 
before. ' ' 

The  girl  read  again  : 

"And  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ,  Ilis  Son,  cleanseth  us 
from  all  sin." 

"  You  are  quite  sure  that  is  there?" 

' '  Yes,  quite  sure. ' ' 

"  Then  take  my  hand  and  lay  my  finger  on  the  passage, 
for  I  should  like  to  feel  it." 

So  she  took  the  old  blind  man's  hand,  and  placed  his 
bony  finger  on  the  verse,  when  he  said : 

"Now  read  it  to  me  again." 

The  little  girl  read,  with  her  soft,  sweet  voice: 

"  And  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ,  His  Son,  cleanseth  us 
from  all  sin." 

"  You  are  quite  sure  that  is  there  ?" 

"  Yes,  quite  sure." 


318  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

'*  Then,  if  any  one  should  ask  how  I  died,  tell  them  I 
died  in  the  faith  of  these  words : 

"  And  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ,  His  Son,  cleanseth  us 
from  all  sin." 

And  with  that,  the  old  man  withdrew  his  hand,  his  head 
fell  softly  back  on  the  pillow,  and  he  silently  passed  into 
the  presence  of  Him  whose  "blood  cleanseth  us  from  all 
sin." 


DEATH  OF  MKS.  EEY.  BENJAMIN  G.  PADDOCK. 

Hee  death  is  thus  described:  And  now  heaven  on  earth 
was  begun.  Adequately  to  describe  the  scene  would  be  im- 
possible. Though  the  process  of  dissolution  had  actually 
commenced,  faith  was  still  triumphant.  At  about  two 
o'clock  in  the  morning,  her  family  were  called  to  receive 
her  last  blessing,  and  a  few  relatives  summoned  to  witness 
the  closing  scene.  The  manner  in  which  she  took  leave  of 
her  husband  and  children,  was  appropriate  and  affecting  in 
the  highest  degree.  She  addressed  a  few  words  of  advice  to 
each,  and  exhorted  all  to  meet  her  in  heaven.  This  done, 
she  had  nothing  to  do  till  her  change  should  come.  She 
had  her  reason,  and  was  able  to  adjust  her  clothes,  and  to 
dispose  of  her  person  up  to  near  the  last  moment.  The 
writer  had  the  privilege  of  being  present,  and  a  privilege, 
indeed,  he  felt  it  to  be.  Again,  and  again,  did  that 
expressive  line  in  the  "Night  Thoughts  "  occur  to  his  mind  : 
"  Virtue  alone  "has  majesty  in  death." 

Not  satisfied  with  praising  God  herself,  she  called  on  all 


DEATH  OF  REV.   W.  II.  PADDOCK.     319 

present  to  magnify  the  riches  of  liis  grace.  In  the  most 
expressive  way,  she  was  continually  saying,  "  Praise  the 
Lord,  O  my  soul,  and  all  that  is  within  me,  bless  His  holy 
name."     Iler  husband  said  : 

"  Jesus  can  make  a  dying  bed 

Feel  soft  as  downy  pillows  are," 

when,  with  her  pale  and  quivering  lips,  she  instantly  re- 
sponded : 

""Wliile  on  His  breast  I  lean  my  head, 

And  breathe  my  life  out  sweetly  there." 

Being  told  by  a  brother,  who  had  his  finger  on  her  pulse, 
that  she  probably  would  not  live  sixty  minutes  longer,  she 
raised  her  hands  in  holy  triumph,  and  said:  "Amen,  even 
so,  come  Lord  Jesus,  come  quickly." 

Thus  she  entered  into  rest. 


DEATH  OF  KEY.  WILLIAM  H.  P^IDDOCK, 

A    SON    OF    THE    ABOVE. 

Eev.  William  H.  Paddock,  an  Episcopal  clergyman, 
when  too  weak  even  to  sit  up  in  bed,  said  to  his  brother, 
Rev.  Wilbur  F.  Paddock,  of  St.  Andrew's  Church,  Phila- 
delphia, "  I  am  so  hungry,  so  hungry."  His  brother,  think- 
ing it  was  food  he  wanted,  inquired,  "  What  do  you  wish? 
What  can  you  eat?"  His  large  eyes  were  raised  to  his 
brother  in  seeming  surprise,  that  he  should  be  so  misunder- 
stood, and  in  a  faint,  distressed  voice,  he  answered,  -'No, 


320  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

no;  not  that!  I  am  so  hungry  for  Christ."  He  rei3eat- 
edlj  said  to  the  same  brother,  "How  imperfect !  If  I  could 
live  my  life  over,  I  would  preach  Christ  more — Christ,  only 
Christ !"  "  Tell  them,"  said  he  one  day,  as  he  laid  on  his 
bed,  "tell  them  [meaning  his  brethren  in  the  ministry]  to 
preach  Christ.  O,  that  I  could  tell  them  !  There  is  noth- 
ing else  to  preach  :  there  is  nothing  else  to  live  for."  His 
end  was  peace. 


DEATH  OF  MADISON  F.  MYERS, 

A  LAYMAN  IN  THE  M.  E.  CHURCH,  IN  THE  WYOMING  VALLEY,  PA. 

Rev.  G.  Peck,  D.D.,  in  his  "Life  and  Times,"  says  of 
him  :  "  His  last  illness  was  protracted,  and  during  its  pro- 
gress, I  saw  him  almost  daily.  I  was  with  him  when  he 
breathed  his  last.  Such  a  death  is  seldom  witnessed. 
Sometimes  he  seemed  to  be  in  an  ecstac}-  of  joy.  Once  he 
called  upon  us  to  'sing,  sing  praise.'  We  began  to  sing 
the  well-known  hymn, 

"  '  Come,  sing  to  me  of  heaven, 
When  I'm  about  to  die  ;' 

and  with  big  tears  of  holy  rapture  falling  from  his  eyes, 
he  joined  in  the  chorus, 

"  'There  will  be  no  sorrow  there.' 

"He  summoned  to  his  bedside,  not  only  the  members  of 
his  own  family  and  his  relatives,  but  every  person  in  his 
employ,  that  he  might  take  them  by  the  hand,  and  give 
them  kind  words  of  advice,  and  his  last  blessing.     A  little 


TO  PL  AD  Y'  S  DEA  TH.  321 

while  before  lie  died,  he  seemed  to  be  transported  with  the 
most  sublime  conceptions  of  the  other  life,  and  the  utter 
insufficiency  of  the  things  of  this  world.  With  intense 
emotion,  he  exclaimed,  '  O,  what  should  I  now  do,  what  can 
any  one  in  my  condition  do,  without  hope  in  Christ?  Mil- 
lions of  gold,  millions  of  acres,  are  worthless,  and  I  count 
them  as  dross.'  " 


TOPLADY'S  DEATH. 

His  death  was  happy  and  triumphant,  as  his  life  had 
been  holy  and  devoted.  When,  in  answer  to  his  inquiries, 
his  doctor  informed  him  that  his  pulse  was  getting  weaker, 
he  replied,  with  a  smiling  countenance,  "Why,  that  is  a  good 
sign  that  my  death  is  fast  approaching.  And,  blessed  be 
God !  I  can  add,  that  my  heai-t  beats  stronger  and  stronger 
everyday  for  glory!"  He  frequently  called  himself  the 
happiest  man  in  the  world.  "Oh,"  said  he,  "how  this 
soul  of  mine  longs  to  be  gone !  Like  a  bird  imprisoned  in 
its  cage,  it  longs  to  take  its  flight.  Oh !  that  I  had  wings 
like  a  dove !  then  would  I  fly  away  to  the  realms  of  bliss, 
and  be  at  rest  for  ever !" 

Shortly  before  his  death,  waking  from  a  slumber,  he 
said  :  "  Oh,  what  delights  !  who  can  fathom  the  joys  of  the 
third  heaven  V  And  when  blessing  and  praising  God  for 
continuing  to  him  his  understanding,  so  that  he  could  still 
think  with  clearness,  he  broke  out,  with  rapturous  delight, 
"And  what  is  most  of  all,  is  His  abiding  presence,  and 
the  shining  of  His  love  upon  my  soul.  The  sky  is  clear ; 
there  is  no  cloud.     Come,  Lord  Jesus,  come  quickly!" 


322  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

Less  than  an  hour  before  his  departure,  he  said:  "It  will 
not  be  long  now  before  God  takes  me,  for  no  mortal  can 
live"  (and  he  burst  into  tears  of  unutterable  joy  as  he 
spoke),  "no  mortal  can  live  after  the  glories  God  has 
manifested  to  my  soul.'! 


BISHOP  MORRIS'  DEATH. 

On  the  Friday  morning  before  his  death  he  suddenly 
grew  worse,  and  inquired  of  his  wife  if  she  thought  he 
would  die  before  night.  She  said  that  she  had  no  such 
thought;  but  added,  "We  can  not  tell  what  a  day  may 
bring  forth."  He  replied,  "Whatever  the  result  may  be, 
all  is  well — all  is  well.'''' 

On  Saturday  morning,  he  was  observed  to  draw  the  bed- 
quilts  closely  around  him,  as  if  cold.  On  being  asked,  by 
his  wife,  if  he  thought  it  was  a  chill,  he  said,  "Why,  no, 
wife;  it  is  a  death  coldness." 

On  the  following  day,  Sabbath,  Phillip  Phillips,  accom- 
panied by  a  few  friends,  spent  an  hour  with  him  in  singing 
and  prayer.  He  greatly  enjoyed  this  service,  and  fre- 
quently, during  the  singing,  said,  "How  sweet!  How 
beautiful!"  On  Monday  evening,  when  his  wife  expressed 
a  fear  that  he  might  soon  be  called  away,  he  said  promptly, 
"All  is  right;  all  is  right."  She  asked  him,  then,  how 
the  future  looked,  and  his  cheerful,  ready  response  was, 
"The  future  looks  bright!"  And  in  this  frame  of  mind 
he  lingered  until  Wednesday,  September  2d,  at  noon,  when 
he  slept  in  Jesus. 


THE  GLORIOUS  BEYOND. 


VICTOK    HUGO    ON    IMMOETALITY. 

E  were  dining  at  \  ictor  Hugo's.     Four  of  us 
were  believers,  and  four  atheists — not  speak- 
ing of  the  ladies,  who  were  all  too  clever  to 
be  infidels.     Victor  Hugo,   of  course,   was 
among  the  believers. 

"To  believe  in  God  is  to  believe  nothing,"  said  one  of 
the  atheists. 

"To  believe  in  God  is  to  believe  everything,"  cried 
Victor  Hugo;  "  it  is  to  believe  in  the  Infinite,  and  in  one's 
immortal  soul.     I  will  prove  it  to  you." 

His  face  was  bright  with  a  heavenly  halo.  You  know  he 
was  born  with  the  century.  His  face  is  crowned  with  white 
hair,  but  it  is  the  volcano  under  the  snow.  His  eyes  shine 
like  bui-ning  coals;  his  brow  is  arched  like  an  Olympian's; 
the  nose  is  refined,  with  distended  nostrils ;  the  mouth  is 
eager  and  smiling,  still  full  of  vaHant  teeth ;  the  chin 
finishes  a  profile  designed  after  the  laws  of  artistic  gram- 
mar. It  is  a  well-made  head,  on  a  robust  body.  By  robust, 
I  do  not  mean  enormous.  He  has  not  the  stature  of  a 
giant,  nor  the  torso  of  a  Hercules.  But  he  is  a  man  of 
steel,  with  no  sign  of  old  age  about  him.     He  has  all  the 

323 


324  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

agilitj,  the  suppleness,  the  ease,  and  grace  of  his  best 
years.  He  is  now  enjoying  his  third  or  fourth  youth  ;  I  do 
not  doubt  he  will  see  the  century  through. 

"I  feel  in  myself,"  he  continued,  "the  future  life.  I 
am  like  a  forest  which  has  been  more  than  once  cut  down. 
The  new  shoots  are  stronger  and  livelier  than  ever.  I  am 
rising,  I  know,  toward  the  sky.  The  sunshine  is  on  my 
head.  The  earth  gives  me  its  generous  sap,  but  heaven 
lights  me  with  the  reflection  of  unknown  worlds.  You  say 
the  soul  is  nothing  but  the  resultant  of  bodily  powers.  Why 
then  is  my  soul  the  more  luminious  when  my  bodily  powers 
begin  to  fail?  Winter  is  on  my  head,  and  eternal  Spring 
is  in  my  heart.  There  I  breathe  at  this  hour  the  fragrance 
of  the  lilacs,  the  violets,  and  the  roses,  as  at  twenty  years. 
The  nearer  I  approach  the  end,  the  plainer  I  hear  around 
me  the  immortal  symphonies  of  the  worlds  which  invite 
me.  It  is  marvelous,  yet  simple.  It  is  a  fairy  tale,  and  it 
is  history.  For  half  a  century  I  have  been  writing  my 
thoughts  in  prose  and  verse ;  history,  philosophy,  drama, 
romance,  tradition,  satire,  ode,  and  song — I  have  tried  alL 
But  I  feel  I  have  not  said  a  thousandth  part  of  what  is  in 
me.  When  I  go  down  to  the  grave,  I  can  say,  like  so 
many  others,  'I  have  finished  my  day's  work,'  but  I  can 
not  say,  'I  have  finished  my  life.'  My  day's  work  will 
begin  again  the  next  morning.  The  tomb  is  not  a  blind 
alley  ;  it  is  a  thoroughfare.  It  closes  on  the  twilight  to 
open  with  the  dawn.  I  improve  every  hour  because  I  love 
this  world  as  my  fatherland,  and  because  the  truth  compels 
me,  as  it  compelled  Yoltaire,  that  human  divinity.     My 


THE  GLORY  BEYOND.  325 


work  is  only  beginning.  My  monument  is  hardly  above  its 
foundations.  I  would  be  glad  to  see  it  mounting,  and 
mounting  forever.  The  thirst  for  the  Infinite,  proves 
mnnity.  — Arsene  Houssaye. 


THE   GLOKY  BEYOND. 
Rev.  H.  W.  Beecher. 

"  T  shall  be  satisfied  when  I  awake  with  Thy  likeness." — Psalms  17:  15. 

"What  the  other  life  will  bring,  I  know  not,  only  that  I 
shall  awake  in  God's  likeness,  and  see  Him  as  He  is.  If  a 
child  had  been  born,  and  spent  all  his  life  in  the  Mammoth 
Cave,  how  impossible  it  would  be  for  him  to  comprehend 
the  upper  world  !  His  parents  might  tell  him  of  its  life,  and 
light,  and  beauty,  and  its  sounds  of  joy ;  they  might  heap 
up  the  sands  into  mounds,  and  try  to  show  him,  by  pointing 
to  stalactites,  how  grass,  and  trees,  and  flowers  grow  out  of 
the  ground,  till  at  length,  with  laborious  thinking,  the 
child  would  fancy  he  had  gained  a  true  idea  of  the 
unknown  land.  But  when  he  came  up,  some  May  morn- 
ing, with  ten  thousand  birds  singing  in  the  trees,  and  the 
heavens  bright,  blue,  full  of  sunlight,  and  the  wind  blow- 
ing softly  through  the  young  leaves,  all  a  glitter  with  dew, 
and  the  landscape  stretching  away,  green  and  beautiful,  to 
the  horizon,  with  what  rapture  would  he  gaze  about  him, 
and  see  how  poor  were  all  his  fancyings,  and  the  interpre- 
tations which  were  made  within  the  cave,  of  the  things 
which  grew  and  lived  without;  and  how  would  he  wonder 


326  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

that  he  could  have  regretted  to  leave  the  silence  and  the 
dreary  darkness  of  his  old  abode  ! 

So,  when  we  emerge  from  this  cave  of  earth  into  that 
land  where  spring  growths  are,  and  where  is  summer,  and 
not  that  miserable  travestie  which  we  call  summer  here, 
how  shall  we  wonder  that  we  could  have  clung  so  fondly  to 
this  dark  and  barren  life ! 

Beat  on,  tlien,  O  heart,  and  yearn  for  dj  ing !  I  have 
drunk  at  many  a  fountain,  but  thirst  came  again ;  I  have 
fed  at  many  a  bounteous  table,  but  hunger  returned;  I 
have  seen  many  bright  and  lovely  things,  but,  while  I 
gazed,  their  lustre  faded.  There  is  nothing  here  that  can 
give  me  rest ;  but,  when  I  behold  Thee,  O  God,  I  shall  be 
satisfied ! 


"IT  DOTH  NOT  YET  APPEAE  WHAT  WE 
SHALL  BE." 

Rev.  John  Ker,  D.D. 

The  first  step  of  the  soul  into  another  state  of  being,  is  a 
mystery.  No  doubt  it  continues  conscious,  and  its  con- 
scious existence,  in  the  case  of  God's  children,  is  most 
blessed.  '•'•To  depart  and  he  with  Christ,  is  far  hetter.'''' 
But  the  existence  of  the  soul  separate  from  the  body,  and 
from  all  material  organs,  is  incomprehensible. 

The  place  of  our  future  life  is  obscure.  How  there  can 
be  relation  to  place,  without  a  body,  we  do  not  know ;  and 
even  when  the  body  is  restored,  we  can  not  tell  the  locality 
of  the  resurrection-world.     Nothing  in  reason,  and  notb- 


' 'IT  DOTH  NOT  YET  APPEAR. ' '        327 

ing  certain  in  revelation,  connects  it  with  any  one  sjiut  in 
God's  universe.  It  may  be  far  away  from  earth,  in  some 
central  kingdom,  the  glittering  confines  of  wliich  we  can 
perceive  in  thick-sown  stars,  that  are  the  pavement  of  the 
land  which  has  its  dust  of  gold.  It  may  be,  as  our  hearts 
would  rather  suggest,  in  this  world,  renewed  and  glorified 
— a  world  sacred  as  the  scene  of  Christ's  sufferings,  aud 
endeared  to  us  as  the  cradle  of  our  immortal  life.  Or  that 
great  world,  heaven — the  heaven  of  heavens — may  gather 
many  worlds  around  this  one,  as  the  center  of  Gocfs  most 
godlike  work — may  inclose  the  new  and  old,  the  near  and 
far,  in  its  wide  embrace.      "It  dotli  not  appear." 

The  outward  manner  of  our  final  existence,  is  also  un- 
certain. That  it  will  be  blessed  and  glorious,  freed  from 
all  that  can  hurt  or  annoy,  we  may  believe.  AVe  may  cal- 
culate that,  in  the  degree  in  which  the  incorruptible  and 
immortal  body  shall  excel  the  body  of  sin  and  death,  our 
final  home,  with  its  scenes  of  beauty  and  grandeur,  its 
landscapes  and  skies,  shall  surpass  our  dwelling-place  on 
this  earth.  "Whether  we  may  possess  merely  our  present 
faculties,  enlarged  and  strengthened,  as  a  child's  mind 
expands  into  a  man's,  or  whether  new  faculties  of  percep- 
tion may  not  be  made  to  spring  forth,  as.if  sight  were  given 
to  a  blind  man,  we  find  it  impossible  to  afiirm. 

******* 

There  are  some  minds  which  trouble  themselves  with  the 
fear,  lest  the  present  life  and  its  natural  affections  shoukl 
be  irrecoverably  lost  in  the  future  world.  The  place  and 
circumstances  seem  so  indefinite,  and  must  be  so  ditlerent 


328  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

from  the  present,  that  they  are  tossed  in  uncertainty.  Will 
they  meet  their  friends  again,  so  as  to  know  them  ;  or  will 
they  be  separated  from  them  by  the  vast  expanse  of  that 
world,  and  by  the  varied  courses  they  may  have  to  pursue  ? 
We  may  have  our  thoughts  about  these  things,  tranquilized, 
if  we  bi'ing  them  in  connection  with  Christ.  Our  eternal 
life  begins  in  unison  with  Him,  and  it  must  forever  so 
continue.  If  we  are  gathered  around  Him  in  heaven,  and 
know  Him,  and  are  known  of  Him,  this  will  secure 
acquaintance  with  one  another.  It  is  strange  that  it  could 
ever  be  made  matter  of  doubt.  And  when  we  think  that 
He  gave  us  human  hearts,  and  took  one  into  His  own 
breast — that  He  bestowed  on  us  human  homes  and  affec- 
tions, and  solaced  Himself  with  them — we  need  not  fear 
that  He  will  deny  us  our  heart's  wish,  where  it  is  natural 
and  good.  Variety  of  pursuit  and  temperament  need  no 
more  separate  us  there  than  it  does  here,  and  His  own 
name  for  heaven — the  "Father's  house  of  many  mansions " 
— speaks  of  unity  as  well  as  diversity ;  one  home,  one 
roof,  one  paternal  presence. 


SHALL  WE  MEET  AGAIN? 

The  following  is  one  of  the  most  brilliant  paragraphs 
ever  written  by  the  lamented  George  D.  Prentiss:  "The 
fiat  of  death  is  inexorable.  There  is  no  appeal  for  relief 
from  that  gi'eat  law  which  dooms  us  to  dust.  We  flourish 
and  fade,  as  the  leaves  of  the  forest ;  and  the  flowers  that 


SHALL   WE  MEET  AGAIX?  329 

bloom,  and  wither  and  fade  in  a  day,  have  no  frailer  hold 
upon  life  than  the  mightiest  monarch  that  ever  shook  the 
earth  with  his  footsteps.  Generations  of  men  will  appear 
and  disappear  as  the  grass,  and  the  multitude  that  throng 
the  world  to-day  will  disappear  as  footsteps  on  the  shore, 
"  Men  seldom  think  of  the  great  event  of  death,  until  the 
shadow  falls  across  their  own  pathway,  hiding  from  their 
eyes  the  faces  of  loved  ones,  whose  living  snule  was  the 
sunlight  of  their  existence.  Death  is  the  antagonist  of 
life,  and  the  thought  of  the  tomb  is  the  skeleton  of  all 
feasts.  We  do  not  want  to  go  tlirough  the  dark  valley, 
although  the  dark  passage  may  lead  to  paradise  ;  we  do 
not  want  to  go  down  into  damp  graves,  even  with  princes 
for  bed-fellows.  In  the  beautiful  drama  of  Ion,  the  hope 
of  immortality,  so  eloquently  uttered  by  the  death-devoted 
Greek,  finds  deep  response  in  every  thoughtful  soul. 
When  about  to  yield  his  life  a  sacrifice  to  fate,  his 
Clemantlie  asks,  if  they  should  meet  again ;  to  which  he 
responds:  'I  have  asked  that  dreadful  question  of  the 
hills  that  look  eternal— of  the  clear  streams  that  flow  for- 
ever—of stars  among  whose  fields  of  azure  my  raised 
spirits  have  walked  in  glory.  All  are  dumb.  But,  as  I 
^aze  upon  thy  living  lace,  I  feel  that  there  is  something  in 
iove  that  mantles  through  its  beauty,  that  can  not  wholly 
perish.     We  shall  meet  again,  Clemanthe.' " 


380  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

PEEPARATION  FOE  HEAVEN. 
Rev,  Robeet  Hall. 

If  there  is  a  law  from  wliose  operation  none  are  exempt, 
which  irresistibly  conveys  their  bodies  to  darkness  and  to 
dust,  there  is  another,  not  less  certain  or  less  powerful, 
which  conducts  their  spirits  to  the  abodes  of  bliss,  to  the 
bosom  of  their  Father  and  their  God.  The  wheels  of 
Nature  are  not  made  to  roll  backward  ;  every  thing  presses 
on  towards  eternity ;  from  the  birth  of  Time,  an  impetuous 
current  has  set  in,  which  bears  all  the  sons  of  men  towards 
that  interminable  ocean.  Meanwhile,  heaven  is  attracting 
to  itself  whatever  is  congenial  to  its  nature — is  enriching 
itself  by  the  spoils  of  earth,  and  collecting  within  its 
capacious  bosom  whatever  is  pure,  permanent,  and  divine ; 
leaving  nothing  for  the  last  fire  to  consume,  but  the  objects 
and  the  slaves  of  concupiscence  ;  while  everything  which 
grace  has  prepared  and  beautified,  shall  be  gathered  and 
selected  from  the  ruins  of  the  world,  to  adorn  that  eternal 
city  "  which  hath  no  need  of  the  sun — neither  of  the 
moon,  to  shine  in  it,  for  the  glory  of  God  doth  enlighten 
it,  and  the  Lamb  is  the  liglit  thereof."  Let  us  obey  the 
voice  that  calls  us  thither  ;  let  us  "seek  the  things  that  are 
above,"  and  no  longer  cleave  to  a  world  which  must  shortly 
perish,  and  which  we  must  shortly  leave,  while  we  neglect 
to  prepare  for  that  in  which  we  are  invited  to  dwell  for- 
ever. Let  us  follow  in  the  track  of  those  holy  men,  who 
have  taught  us  by  their  voice,  and  encouraged  us  by  their 
example,  "that  having  laid  aside  every  weight,  and   the 


RECOGNITION  AFTER  DEATH.         331 

sin  that  most  easily  besets  us,  we  may  run  with  patience 
the  race  that  is  set  before  us."  AVhile  evervthiner  witliiu 
us,  and  around  us,  reminds  us  of  the  approach  of  di-atli, 
and  concurs  to  teach  us  tliat  this  is  not  our  rest,  let  us 
hasten  our  preparations  for  another  world,  and  earnestly 
implore  that  grace  which  alone  can  put  an  end  to  that  fatal 
war  which  our  desires  have  too  long  waged  with  our 
destiny.  AYhen  these  move  in  the  same  direction,  and  that 
which  the  will  of  heaven  renders  unavoidable  shall  become 
our  choice,  all  things  will  be  ours — life  will  be  divested  of 
its  vanity,  and  death  disarmed  of  its  terrors. 


RECOGNITION  AFTER  DEATH. 
Dean  Alford. 

With  respect  to  this  subject — the  probability  of  meeting 
and  recognizing  friends  in  heaven — I  have  thought  a  good 
deal,  and  have  searched  the  Scriptures  on  the  subject.  This 
passage,  from  Thess.  4 :  13-18,  appears  to  me  abnost  con- 
clusive : 

"  But  I  would  not  have  you  to  be  ignorant,  brethren, 
concerning  them  that  are  asleep,  that  ye  sorrow  not,  even 
as  others  which  have  no  hope. 

"For,  if  we  believe  that  Jesus  died  and  rose  again,  even 
so  them  also  which  sleep  in  Jesus  will  God  bring  with  Ilim. 

"For  this  we  say  unto  you  by  the  word  of  the  Lord,  that 
we  which  are  alive,  and  remain  unto  the  coming  of  the 
Lord,  shall  not  prevent  them  which  are  asleep. 


332  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

"For  the  Lord  himself  shall  descend  from  heaven  with 
a  shout,  with  the  voice  of  the  archangel,  and  with  the 
trump  of  God ;  and  the  dead  in  Christ  shall  rise  first. 
Then  we  which  are  alive,  and  remain,  shall  be  caught  up 
together  with  them  in  the  clouds,  to  meet  the  Lord  in  the 
air :   and  so  shall  we  ever  be  with  the  Lord. 

"  "Wherefore,  comfort  one  another  with  these  words." 

Tennyson  says : 

"To  search  the  secret  is  beyond  our  lore, 
And  man  must  rest  till  God  doth  furnish  more." 

Certainly,  if  there  has  been  one  hope  which  has  borne 
the  hearts  of  Christians  up  more  than  another,  in  trials  and 
separations,  it  is  this.  It  has,  in  all  ages,  been  one  of  the 
loveliest  in  the  checkered  prospect  of  the  future  ;  nor  has 
it  been  confined  to  Christians ;  I  mean,  the  idea.  You 
will  excuse  me,  nay,  you  will  thank  me,  I  know,  for  tran- 
scribing an  exquisite  passage  from  Cicero's  treatise  on  Old 
Age.  It  is  as  follows:  "O  glorious  day,  when  I  shall  go  to 
that  divine  assembly  and  company  of  spirits,  and  when  I 
shall  depart  out  of  this  bustle,  this  sink  of  corruption ;  for 
I  shall  go  not  only  to  those  great  men  of  whom  I  have 
before  spoken,  but  also  to  my  dear  Cato  [his  son],  than 
whom  there  never  was  a  better  man,  or  one  more  excellent 
in  filial  aifection,  whose  funeral  rites  were  performed  by 
me,  when  the  contrary  was  natural — namely,  that  mine 
should  be  performed  by  him.  His  soul  not  desiring  me, 
but  looking  back  on  me,  has  departed  into  those  regions 
where  he  saw  that  I  myself  must  come  ;  and  I  seem  to  bear 
firmly  mv  aflHiction,  not  because  I  did  not  grieve  for  it,  but 


THE  sours  CAPACITY FOn  GIlOWTIl.  ;^>33 

I  comforted  myself,  thinking  that  the  separation  and  part- 
ing between  us  woukl  not  be  for  long  duration."  This  pas- 
sage from  Cicero  is  considered  one  of  tlie  finest,  if  not  the 
finest,  in  all  the  heathen  autliors.  It  certainly  is  very  fine; 
but  now,  when  you  have  admired  it  enough,  turn  to  2  Tim. 
4 :  6-8,  and  compare  the  two. 

"  For  I  am  now  ready  to  be  offered,  and  the  time  of  my 
departure  is  at  hand.  I  have  fought  a  good  fight,  I  have 
finished  my  course,  I  have  kept  the  faith : 

'.'  Henceforth,  there  is  laid  up  for  me  a  crown  of  right- 
eousness, which  the  Lord,  the  righteous  Judge,  shall  give 
me  at  that  day ;  and  not  to  me  only,  but  unto  all  them  also 
that  love  His  appearing.'" 

Blessed  be  He,  indeed,  who  has  given  us  such  a  certainty 
of  hope ! 


THE  SOUL'S  CAPACITY  FOE  GROWTH. 

The  soul's  capacity  for  growth,  and  its  yearnings  for 
something  higher,  are  themes  often  discoursed  upon,  but 
they  are  oftener  themes  of  deep  and  earnest  thought.  This 
paragraph,  from  David  Tliomas,  is  well  expressed: 

"The  soul  lias  a  capacity  for  indefinite  growth.  It  is 
too  often  spoken  of  as  illimitable,  as  if  it  were  a  vessel, 
which  it  is  our  duty  to  fill  up  with  virtue  and  knowledge  ;  or 
as  a  block,  which  we  have  to  mold  into  certain  forms  of 
grace  and  loveliness ;  or  as  a  soil,  whose  fallow  ground  we 
have  to  break  up,  and  into  whose  bosom  we  have  to  deposit 
the  seeds  of  goodness  and  truth.      Such  views  of  the  suul 


S34  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

are  so  partial,  as  frequently  to  give  a  wrong  idea  of  its 
nature.  If  the  spiritual  existence  is  to  be  represented  by 
material  objects,  I  select  the  seed  as  the  fairest  type.  It 
contains  the  germs  of  all  that  it  will  ever  become. 

"  'Lo! .  in  each  seed,  within  its  slender  rind, 
Life's  golden  threads  in  endless  circles  wind ; 
Maze  within  maze  the  lucid  webs  are  roll'd, 
And  as  they  burst,  the  living  flames  unfold.' 

"A  comparison  between  barbarous  hordes  and  civilized 
states — between  Milton  with  his  toy  in  his  nursery,  and  the 
sightless  bard  thrilling  the  ages  with  his  harp— furnishes 
illustrations  of  man's  capacity  for  growth.  There  is,  how- 
ever, one  peculiarity  in  this  spiritual  growth.  The  indi- 
vidual germ  of  every  other  life  exhausts  itself  in  growing ; 
but  in  growing,  mind  seems  to  increase  its  capacity  for 
growth.  The  soul  which  reaches  the  highest  point,  how- 
ever advanced  in  years,  is  the  most  spring-like  and  useful ; 
the  morning  dew  lies  on  its  budding  powers.  Exhaustless 
are  the  germs  within  these  breasts  of  ours — germs  that 
shall  appear  in  new  branches  of  vigor,  new  forms  of  beauty, 
and  new  clusters  of  fruit,  as  ages  roll  their  round.  But  in 
addition  to  this  capacity  for  growth,  there  is  in  our  souls 
an  innate  ever-pulsating  desire  for  growth ;  men  are  no- 
where satisfied  with  the  attainments  made.  The  whole 
creation  groaneth  and  travaileth  for  a  higher  state.  The 
desire  of  the  child  to  reach  the  stature  of  physical  man- 
hood, but  dimly  shadows  the  impulse  of  the  inner  nature 
to  ascend  ;  it  seeks  to  burst  the  shell,  and  spring  into  a  life 
where  it  shall  have  a  wider  range,  and  play  a  nobler  part." 


A  HAPPY  FVTURE.  33.' 


A   HAPPY   FUTURE. 
Alexander  McLaren. 

"We  know  that  when  He  slitill  appear,  wg  shall  be  like 
Him.'''  We  have  a  future  which  is  an  object,  not  of  a  dim 
expectation  and  trembling  hope,  but  of  knowledge.  Our 
word  is  not  "  it  may  be,"  but  "  it  will  be."  We  have  a  cer- 
tainty, not  a  possibility,  or  a  probability,  for  our  hope. 
That  which  is  to  be,  becomes  as  firm  reality  as  that  which 
has  been.  Hope  is  truer  than  history.  The  future  is  not 
cloud-land,  but  solid,  fruitful  soil,  on  which  we  may  j)lant  a 
firm  foot. 

And  therefore,  the  habit  of  living  in  the  future,  should 
make  us  glad  and  confident.  We  should  not  keep  the  con- 
templation of  another  state  of  existence  to  make  us  sorrow- 
ful, nor  allow  the  transciency  of  this  present  to  shade  our 
joys.  Our  hope  should  make  us  buoyant,  and  should  keep 
us  firm.  It  is  an  anchor  of  the  soul.  All  men  live  by 
hope,  even  when  it  is  fixed  upon  the  uncertain  and  chang- 
ing things  of  this  world.  The  hopes  of  the  men  who  have 
not  their  hearts  fixed  upon  God,  try  to  grapple  themselves 
on  the  cloud-rock  that  rolls  along  the  flanks  of  the  moun- 
tains ;  but  our  hopes  pierce  within  that  veil,  and  lay  hold 
of  the  Rock  of  Ages,  that  towers  above  the  flying  vapors. 
Let  us  then  be  strong ;  for  our  future  is  not  a  dim  perad- 
venture,  nor  a  vague  dream,  nor  a  fancy  of  our  own,  nor  a 
wish  turning  itself  into  a  vision  ;  but  it  is  made  and  certi- 
fied by  Him  who  is  the  God  of  all  the  past,  and  of  all  the 
present.     It  is  built  upon  His  Word  ;   and  the  brightest 


336  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

hope  of  all  its  brightness,  is  the  enjoyment  of  more  of  Has 
presence,  and  the  possession  of  more  of  His  likeness. 
That  hope  is  certain.  Therefore,  let  us  live  in  it,  and 
"reach  forth  unto  the  things  which  are  before." 


EXTRACTS  FROM  PAYSON'S  WORKS. 


NO  NIGHT  IN  HEAVEN. 

Do  the  rays  of  light  grow  weary  in  their  flight  from  the 
sun?  or  does  the  thunder-bolt  need  to  pause  and  seek  refresh- 
ment in  the  midst  of  its  career  ?  as  little  do  the  inhabitants 
of  heaven  become  weary  in  praising  and  enjoying  God.  As 
little  do  they  need  refreshment  or  repose ;  for  their  spiritual 
bodies  will  be  far  more  active  and  refined  than  the  purest 
light,  and  their  labor  itself  will  be  the  sweetest  rest. 
Hence,  heaven  is  styled  the  rest  which  remains  for  God's 
people,  and  they  are  represented  as  serving  Him  unceas- 
ingly in  His  temple  above.  They  will  not,  therefore,  lose 
a  third  part  of  eternity  in  sleep.  No  night  will  be  neces- 
sary to  refresh  them ;  the  pulse  of  immortality  will  beat 
stronger  in  every  vein ;  the  golden  harp  will  never  drop 
from  their  hands ;  their  tongues  will  never  grow  weary  of 
extolling  their  God  and  Kedeemer,  but  will,  through  eter- 
nity, pour  forth  songs  of  praise  as  unceasing  as  the  displays 
of  those  glories  which  excite  them. 


THE  LAMB  IS  THE  LIGHT.  337 


Al^D  THE  LAMB  IS  THE  LIGHT  THEREOF. 

The  unfathoraable  flood  of  light  and  glory  which  unceas- 
ingly flows  from  the  Father  is  collected  and  concen- 
trated in  the  person  of  His  Son,  for  lie  is  ''  the  brightness 
of  the  Father's  glory,  and  the  express  image  of  His  per- 
son." Heaven  is,  therefore,  illuminated  not  only  with 
-God's  glory,  but  with  the  brightest  and  most  dazzling 
effulgence  of  divine,  uncreated  light — a  light  which 
enlightens  and  cheers  the  soul,  as  well  as  the  body.  Of  the 
nature  and  degree  of  this  liglit,  who  but  the  happy  beings 
that  enjoy  it  can  form  any  conception  !  There  are,  indeed, 
several  passages  in  Scripture  which  seem  intended  to  give 
us  some  idea  of  it,  but  they  serve  little  more  than  to  con- 
vince us  that  it  is  altogether  inconceivable. 

For  instance,  St.  John  informs  us  that  he  saw,  in  vision, 
a  mighty  angel  come  down  from  heaven,  "and  that  the 
earth  was  lightened  with  his  glory."  But  if  the  glory  of 
a  single  angel  was  sufficient  to  lighten  the  earth,  what  must 
be  the  glory  of  the  Lord  of  angels  ;  and  how  overjxjwering 
the  liffht  of  heaven,  where  millions  of  anijels  continuallv  re- 
side,  and  God  and  the  Lamb  display  their  brightest  glories  I 

Again  :  when  Christ  appeared  to  the  same  apostle,  "His 
eyes  were  as  a  flame  of  fire,  and  His  feet  as  brass  glowing 
in  a  furnace,  and  His  countenance  as  the  sun  shining  in  his 
strength;"  so  that,  unable  to  sui)port  the  sight,  St.  John 
fell  at  His  feet  as  dead.  But  if  His  glories  were  thus  over- 
powering when,  in  condescension  to  the  weakness  of  His 
servant.  He  drew  a  veil  over  them,  what  must  they  be  in 


'm  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

the  regions  above,  where  they  are  seen  in  all  their  bright- 
ness, without  any  interposing  veil  ? 

Once  more :  when  Moses  came  down  from  the  mount, 
after  a  short  interview  with  God,  his  face  shone  with  a 
lustre  so  dazzling,  that  even  his  brother,  and  the  elders  of 
Israel,  were  unable  to  gaze  upon  it.  But,  if  a  transient 
view  of  the  glory  of  God,  seen  as  it  were  through  a  glass 
darkly,  could  impart  such  a  lustre  to  a  piece  of  animated 
clay,  what  insufferable  splendor  must  the  constant  pres- 
ence of  Jehovah  give  to  the  diamond  walls,  the  pearly 
gates,  and  the  golden  streets  of  the  New  Jerusalem  ?  How 
must  they  glory  and  shine,  as  in  a  furnace,  when  the  Sun 
of  Righteousness  pours  upon  them  His  effulgent  beams  in 
a  full  tide  of  glory !  and  how  must  the  spiritual  bodies  of 
their  inhabitants,  which  resemble  the  glorified  body  of  their 
Redeemer,  eclipse  all  that  is  called  brilliant  and  dazzling 
on  earth ''.  We  are,  indeed,  assured  that  all  the  righteous 
shall  shine  forth  in  the  kingdom  of  their  Father,  and  as 
the  brightness  of  the  firmament,  for  ever  and  ever.  Say 
then,  my  friends,  does  the  New  Jerusalem  need  any  created 
luminaries  to  shine  in  it,  or  do  its  inhabitants  need  the 
light  of  the  sun,  when  every  individual  among  them  is 
himself  a  sun  %  Not  only  the  moon,  but  the  sun  itself 
would  be  invisible,  amid  these  celestial  glories ;  or,  if 
visible,  it  would  appear  only  as  a  cloud,  or  a  dark  spot  on 
the  face  of  the  celestial  sky.  "Then,"  says  the  prophet, 
"shall  the  moon  be  confounded,  and  the  sun  ashamed, 
when  the  Lord  of  hosts  shall  reign  in  Mount  Zion,  and  in 
Jerusalem,  and  before  His  ancients  gloriously." 


THE  JVEW  JER  USALEM.  339 

THE  NEW  JERUSALEM  AND  ITS  INHABITANTS. 

Behold  a  city,  built  with  the  most  perfect  reguhirity, 
extending  in  every  direction  fartlier  than  the  eye  can  reach, 
surrounded  by  a  wall  of  jasper,  of  immeasurable  height, 
and  entirely  composed  of  gold,  pearls,  diamonds,  and 
precious  stones.  See  its  golden  streets  thronged  with 
inhabitants,  whose  bodies,  composed  of  light  seven  times 
refined,  are  far  more  dazzling,  bright,  and  glorious  than 
all  the  sparkling  gems  which  surround  them.  See  among 
them  the  patriarchs,  the  prophets,  the  apostles,  and  martyrs, 
distinguished  from  their  fellow-saints  by  their  superior 
brightness.  See  the  gates  guarded,  and  the  streets  filled 
by  thousands  of  thousands,  and  ten  thousand  times  ten 
thousand  of  angels  and  archangels,  thrones  and  dominions, 
principalities  and  powers,  each  one  of  whom  seems  suffi- 
ciently glorious  to  be  liimself  a  god.  See  the  golden 
streets,  the  diamond  walls,  and  pearly  gates  of  the  celestial 
city,  reflecting  from  every  part  streams  of  light  and  glory, 
which  flow  in  a  full  tide  from  all  directions,  not  from  the 
sun,  but  from  a  throne  more  dazzling  bright  than  ten 
thousand  suns,  raised  high  in  the  midst.  See  the  inimmer- 
ably  stirring  throngs  of  saints  and  angels,  enveloped  in  the 
boundless  flood  of  light  and  glory,  all  falling  prostrate 
before  the  throne,  and  with  one  voice  praising  Ilini  who 
liveth  for  ever  and  ever.  Hear  their  united  voices,  as  the 
voices  of  many  waters,  and  as  the  voice  of  mighty  thunder- 
ings,  exclaiming,  "Alleluia,  for  the  Lord  God  Otnnipo- 
tent  reigneth.     Blessing,  and  glory,  and  honor,  and  power 


3^0  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

"be  unto  Him  that  sittetli  on  the  throne,  and  to  the  Lamb 
for  ever  and  ever."  Then  raise  your  eyes  to  contemplate 
the  object  of  this  worship,  Ilim  who  fills  this  throne. 
See  the  Ancient  of  days,  the  great  I  Am,  the  Being  of 
beings,  the  Being  who  is,  the  Being  who  was,  the  Being 
who  shall  be  forever.  See  at  his  right  hand  a  man,  the 
friend,  the  brother,  the  Redeemer  of  man,  clothed  with  the 
brightness  of  His  Fatlier's  glory,  the  express  image  of  His 
]ierson.  See  Him  witli  a  countenance  of  mingled  majesty, 
meekness,  condescension,  and  love,  surveying  the  countless 
myriads  of  His  people  around  Him,  and  His  eye  succes- 
sively meeting  their  eyes  in  turn,  and  pouring  into  their 
souls  such  ineffable  happiness  as  is  almost  too  much  for 
mortals  to  bear. 


A  THOUSAND  YEARS  AS  ONE  DAY. 

You  have  doubtless  often  observed,  that  when  your 
minds  have  been  intently  and  pleasantly  occupied,  you  have 
become  almost  unconscious  of  the  flight  of  time ;  minutes 
and  hours  have  flown  away  with,  apparently,  unusual  swift- 
ness, and  the  setting  or  rising  of  the  sun  has  surprised  you 
long  before  you  expected  its  approach.  But  in  heaven,  the 
saints  will  be  entirely  lost  and  swallowed  up  in  God ;  and 
their  minds  will  be  so  com23letely  absorbed  in  the  contem- 
plation of  His  ineffable,  infinite,  uncreated  glories,  that 
they  will  be  totally  unconscious  how  time,  or  rather,  how 
eternity  passes ;  and  not  only  years,  but  millions  of  ages, 
such  as  we  call  ages,   will   be  flown  ere  they  are  aware. 


HEAVEN.— FIGURES  OF.  £41 


Thus  a  thousand  years  will  seem  but  as  one  day,  and  so 
groat,  so  ecstatic  will  be  their  happiness,  that  one  day  will 
be  as  a  thousand  years.  And  as  there  will  be  nothing  to 
interrupt  them,  no  bodily  wants  to  call  oft'  their  attention, 
no  weariness  to  compel  them  to  rest,  no  vicissitudes  ot" 
seasons,  or  of  day  and  night,  to  disturb  their  contempla- 
tions, it  is  more  than  probable  that  innumerable  ages  mav 
pass  away  before  they  think  of  asking  how  long  they  have 
been  in  heaven,  or  even  before  they  are  conscious  that  a 
single  hour  has  elapsed. 


HEAVEN,— FIGURES  OF. 

Dr.   BEAUilONT. 

It  is  held  forth  to  our  view  as  a  Banquet  ;  where  our 
souls  shall  be  satisfied  forever;  the  beauties  of  Jehovah's 
face,  the  mysteries  of  Divine  grace,  the  riches  of  redeem- 
ing love,  communion  with  God  and  the  Lamb,  fellowship 
with  the  infinite  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost,  being  the 
heavenly  fullness  on  which  we  shall  feed. 

As  a  Paradise  :  a  garden  of  fruits  and  flowers,  on  which 
our  spiritual  natures  and  gracious  tastes  will  be  regaled 
through  one  ever-verdant  spring  and  golden  summer;  a 
paradise  where  lurks  no  serpent  to  destroy,  and  where 
fruits  and  flowers  shall  never  fade  and  droop,  nor  die. 

As  an  Inheritance:  but  then  an  inheritance  that  is 
incorruptible,  undefiled,  and  that  fadeth  not  away — the 
inheritance  of  the  saints  in  light. 


342  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

As  a  Kingdom,  whose  immunities,  felicities,  and  glories 
are  splendid  and  vast,  permanent  and  real,  quite  over- 
whelming, indeed,  to  our  present  feeble  imaginings. 

As  a  CouNTKY,  over  whose  wide  regions  we  shall  traverse 
in  all  the  might  of  our  untried  faculties,  and  in  all  tlie 
glow  of  new  and  heaven-born  energies,  discovering  and 
gathering  fresh  harvests  of  intelligence,  satisfaction,  and 
delight. 

As  a  City,  whose  walls  are  burnished  gold,  whose  pave- 
ment is  jasper,  sardonyx,  and  onyx,  through  which  flows 
the  river  of  life  ;  the  inhabitants  of  which  hunger  no  more, 
thirst  no  more,  sicken  no  more,  weep  no  more,  die  no 
more ;  a  city  where  there  is  no  end  of  the  sun  by  day,  in 
which  there  is  no  night  at  all,  and  of  which  the  Lord  God 
Almighty  is  the  light,  and  the  Lamb  the  glory. 

As  a  Palace,  where  dwells  the  Lord  our  righteousness, 
the  King  in  His  beauty  displayed — ^His  beauty  of  holiest 
love ;  in  the  eternal  sunshine  of  whose  countenance  bask 
and  exult  the  host  that  worship  at  His  feet. 

As  a  Building  that  has  God  as  its  Maker,  immortality 
for  its  walls,  and  eternity  for  its  day. 

As  a  Sanctuaky,  where  the  thrice-holy  divinity  enshrined 
in  our  nature  in  the  person  of  Immanual,  is  worshiped  and 
adored,  without  a  sigh,  without  an  imperfection,  and  with- 
out intermission ;  where  hymns  of  praise,  halleluiahs  of 
salvation,  and  hosannahs  of  redemption,  uttered  by  blest 
voices  without  number,  ever  sound  before  the  throne. 

And  as  a  Temple,  bright  with  the  divine  glory,  filled 
with  the  divine  presence,    streaming  with  divine  beauty, 


HE  A  VEN  A  HOME.  343 

and  peopled  with  shining  monumeuts  of  divine  goodness, 
mercy,  and  grace. 


HEAVEN  A  HOME. 
Thomas  Guthrie. 

Home  !  Oh,  how  sweet  is  that  word  !  what  beautiful  and 
tender  associations  cluster  thick  around  it ;  compared  with 
it,  house,  mansion,  palace  are  cold,  heartless  terms.  But 
home  !  that  word  quickens  the  pulse,  warms  the  heart,  stirs 
the  soul  to  its  depths,  makes  age  feel  young  again,  rouses 
apathy  into  energy,  sustains  the  sailor  in  his  midnight 
watch,  inspires  the  soldier  with  courage  on  the  field  of 
battle,  and  imparts  patient  endurance  to  the  worn-down 
sons  of  toil.  The  thought  of  Home  has  proved  a  seven-fold 
shield  to  virtue ;  its  very  name  has  a  spell  to  call  back  the 
wanderer  from  the  paths  of  vice ;  and  far  away,  where 
myrtles  bloom,  and  palm-trees  wave,  and  the  ocean  sleeps 
upon  coral  strands,  to  the  exile's  fond  fancy,  it  clothes  the 
naked  rock,  or  stormy  shore,  or  barren  moor,  or  wild  High- 
land mountain  with  charms  he  weeps  to  think  of,  and 
longe  once  more  to  see. 

Grace  sanctifies  these  lovely  affections,  and  imparts  a 
sacreaness  to  the  homes  of  earth,  by  making  them  types  of 
heaven.  As  a  home,  the  believer  delights  to  think  of  it. 
Thus,  while  lately  bending  over  a  dying  saint,  and  express- 
ing our  sorrow  to  see  him  lay  so  low,  with  the  radiant 
countenance  rather  of  one  who  had  just  left  heaven  than  of 


344  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

one  about  to  enter  it,  he  raised  and  clasped  his  hands,  and 
exclaimed  in  ecstacy,  "I  am  going  home !" 


"THERE  SHALL  BE  NO  PAIN  THERE." 

This  promise  is  one  of  the  golden  clusters  that  grew  oti 
that  vine  planted  for  the  healing  of  the  nations — the  Bible! 
How  blessed  a  promise  of  the  life  that  is  to  come,  is  this 
one,  those  only  can  know  who  have  walked  long  and 
frequently  under  the  shadows  of  weariness  and  suffering. 

"No  pain  there,"  to  struggle  with,  and  endure;  no 
burdens  to  lay  upon  the  eager  spirit,  which  the  weak  frame 
can  not  sustain;  no  work  under  which  heart  and  strength 
fail,  and  which  is  at  last  laid  mournfully  aside ;  no  long 
hours  of  fever  and  restlessness  ;  no  overtasked  brain  and 
nerves  in  the  homestead  of  those  whom  God  shall  number 
as  His  jewels. 

So  be  comforted,  ye  that  mourn  !  Green  and  shining  rise 
the  banks  beyond  the  dark  valley,  and  sweet  healing  is  in 
the  winds  that  blow  off  from  the  meadows,  freighted  with 
blossoms  fairer  than  the  roses  and  lilies  of  earth ! 

Take  through  the  pilgrimage  this  promise — let  it  be  a 
new  incentive,  and  strength,  and  comfort  to  you — "  There 
shall  be  no  pain  there."  V.  F.  F. 


SHORT  GEMS,  ANFXDOTES,  ETC. 


MISCELLANEOUS. 


BRILLIANT  PPwEACIIIXG. 

IR  AsTLEY  Cooper,  on  visiting  Paris,  was 
asked  by  tlie  surgeon-in-cliief  of  the  Empire, 
how  many  times  he  had  performed  a  certain 
wonderful  feat  of  surgery.  He  replied  that 
he  had  performed  the  operation  thirteen  times.  "Ah!  but, 
Monsieur,  I  have  done  him  one  hundred  and  sixty  times. 
How  many  times  did  you  save  his  life  ?"  continued  the 
curious  Frenchman,  after  he  had  looked  into  the  blank 
amazement  of  Sir  Astley's  face.  "I,"  said  the  English- 
man, "saved  eleven  out  of  the  thirteen.  How  many  did 
you  save  out  of  the  one  hundred  and  sixty?"  "Ah, 
Monsieur,  I  lose  them  all ;  but  de  operation  was  veiy 
brilliant."  Of  how  man}'  popular  ministers  might  the 
same  verdict  be  given !  Souls  are  not  saved,  but  the 
preaching  is  brilliant.  Thousands  are  attraQted  and 
operated  on  by  the  rhetorician's  art,  but  what  if  he  should 
have  to  say  of  his  admirers,  "I  lose  them"  all,  but  the 
sermons  are  very  brilliant."  —Spurgeoiu 

946 


346  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

CHRIST,  NOT  THE  PREACHER,  is  to  be  conspicuous.  The 
Judean  king  was  addressed  by  Ahab,  in  these  words:  "I 
will  disguise  myself,  and  go  to  the  battle,  but  put  thou  on 
thy  robes."  The  true  preacher  of  the  Word  will  say: 
"We  preach  not  ourselves,  but  Jesus  Christ  the  Lord." 
Let  Him  be  the  central  object,  "  chief  among  ten  thousand," 
clothed  in  majesty. 


A  GOOD  SERMON. 

"That  was  a  good  sermon,  was  it  not,  that  we  heard  last 
Sunday." 

"  True,  for  you,  yer  honor  ;  an  illigant  one  !  It  done  me 
a  power  of  good,  intirely."  • 

"I'm  glad  of  that.  Can  you  tell  me  what  particularly 
struck  you  ?     What  was  it  about  ?" 

"  Sorra  a  bit  of  me  knows  what  it  was  about  at  all." 

"  And  yet  you  say  it  did  you  a  power  of  good." 

"So  it  did,  sir  ;  I'll  stick  to  that." 

"I  don't  see  how." 

"Well,  now  yer  honor,  look  here.  There  is  my  shirt 
that  the  wife  is  often  washing ;  and  clean  and  white  it  is, 
by  reason  of  all  the  water  and  soap,  and  the  starch  that  is 
gone  through  it.  But  not  a  drop  of  'em  all — water,  or 
soap,  or  starch,  or  blue— has  stayed  in,  d'ye  see  ?  And 
that's  just  the  same  with  me  and  tliat  sermon.  It's  run 
through  me,  yer  honor,  an'  it's  dried  out  of  me;  but  all 
the  same,  just  like  my  Sunday  shirt,  I'm  the  better  and  the 
cleaner  after  it." 


SHORT  GEMS,  ANECDOTES,  ETC.        347 

NOT  liEMEMBEREI),  YET  NOT  LOST. 

Bishop  Iloskyns,  of  old  times,  thus  encourages  those 
readers  and  hearers  of  the  Word,  who,  though  earnest  in 
their  desires,  yet  sometimes  fail  in  their  efforts  to  keep  in 
memory  the  lively  oracles:  "I  have  heard  of  one,  who. 
returning  from  an  affecting  sermon,  highly  commended  it 
to  some ;  and  being  demanded  what  he  remembered  of  it, 
answered  :  '  Truly,  I  remember  nothing  at  all ;  but  only 
while  I  heard  it,  it  made  me  resolve  to  live  better ;  and  so, 
by  God's  grace,  I  will.'  " 

There  is  a  story  to  the  same  purpose,  of  one  who  com- 
plained to  a  holy,  aged  man,  that  he  was  discouraged  from 
reading  the  Scriptures,  because  he  could  fasten  nothing 
upon  his  memoiT.  The  hermit  bade  him  take  an  earthen 
pitcher,  and  fill  it  with  water.  lie  then  bade  him  empty  it 
again,  and  wipe  it  clean,  that  nothing  should  remain  in  it. 
This  being  done,  "Now,"  said  he,  "  though  there  be  nothing 
of  the  water  remaining  in  it,  yet  the  pitcher  is  cleaner  than 
it  was  before;  so,  though  thy  memory  retain  nothing  of  the 
word  thou  readest,  yet  thy  heart  is  cleaner  for  its  very  pas- 
sage through." 

To  the  above  may    be    added   the   following,   of  later 
date: 

"  Wliat  a  sermon  we  had  last  Sunday  I"  said  a  poor 
woman,  who  kept  a  small  shop,  to  a  neighbor. 

"  What  was  it  about  ?"  asked  her  friend. 

"  I  don't  remember,"  she  replied. 

"  What  was  the  text?"  she  then  asked. 


548  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 


"I  can  not  quite  think,"  she  replied;  "but  I  know 
that  when  I  got  home,  I  took  and  burnt  up  my  bad 
busheh" 


A  GENTLEMAN  was  ODce  riding  in  Scotland  by  a  bleaching- 
ground,  where  a  poor  woman  was  at  work  watering  her 
webs  of  linen  cloth.  He  asked  her  where  she  went  to 
church,  what  she  had  heard  on  the  preceding  day,  and  how 
much  she  remembered.  She  could  not  even  tell  the  text 
of  the  last  sermon.  "And  what  good  can  the  preaching 
do  you,"  said  he,  "if  you  forget  it  all?"  "Ah,  sir," 
replied  the  poor  woman,  "if  you  will  look  at  this  web  on 
the  grass,  you  will  see,  as  fast  as  ever  I  put  the  water  on  it. 
the  sun  dries  it  all  up,  and  yet,  sir,  I  see  it  gets  whiter  and 
whiter!" 


JESUS,  JESUS  IS  ALL. 

The  world — O  what  a  bubble,  what  a  trifle  it  is! 
Friends  are  nothing,  fame  is  nothing,  health  is  nothing,  life 
is  nothing;  Jesus,  Jesus  is  All!  O,  what  will  it  be  to 
spend  an  eternity  in  seeing  and  praising  Jesus  !  to  see  him 
as  he  is,  to  be  satisfied  with  his  likeness !  O,  I  long,  I 
pant,  I  faint  with  desire  to  be  singing,  "Worthy  is  the 
Lamb!"  to  be  extolling  the  riches  of  sovereign  grace,  to 
be  casting  the  crown  at  the  feet  of  Christ!  And  why  mav 
we  not  do  all  this  on  earth  ?  —Payson, 


SIIOBT  GEMS,  ANECDOTES,  ETC.       349 

THE  SECKET  OF  HAPPINESS. 

Now  let  me  tell  you  a  secret — a  secret  worth  knowing. 
This  looking  forward  to  enjoyment,  does  not  }»ay.  From 
what  I  know  of  it,  I  would  as  soon  chase  buttertiies  for  a 
living,  or  bottle  up  moonshine  for  cloudy  nights.  The  only 
true  way  to  be  happy,  is  to  take  the  drops  of  happiness  as 
God  gives  them  to  us  every  day  of  our  lives.  The  boy 
must  learn  to  be  happy  while  he  is  plodding  over  his 
lessons  ;  the  apprentice,  while  he  is  learning  his  trade  ;  the 
merchant,  while  he  is  making  his  fortune.  If  he  fail  to 
learn  this  art,  he  will  be  sure  to  miss  his  enjoyment  when 
he  gains  what  he  has  sighed  for. 


An  Italian  bishop,  who  had  struggled  through  many 
difficulties  without  repining,  and  been  much  op})osed  with- 
out manifesting  impatience,  being  asked  by  a  friend  to 
communicate  the  secret  of  his  being  always  so  happy, 
replied  :  "  It  consists  in  a  single  thing,  and  that  is,  making 
a  right  use  of  my  eyes."  Ilis  friend,  in  surprise,  begged 
him  to  explain  his  meaning.  "Most  willingly,"  replied 
the  bishop.  "  In  whatsoever  state  I  am,  I  first  of  all  look 
up  to  heaven,  and  remember  that  my  great  business  is  to 
get  there.  I  then  look  down  upon  earth,  and  call  to  mind 
how  small  a  space  I  shall  soon  fill  in  it.  I  then  look 
abroad  in  the  world,  and  see  what  multitudes  are,  in  all 
respects,  less  happy  than  myself.  And  thus  I  learn  where 
true  happiness  is  placed,  where  all  my  cares  must  end,  and 


350  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

liow  little  reason  I  ever  had  to  murmur,  or  to  be  otherwise 
than  thankful.  And  to  live  in  this  spirit,  is  to  be  always 
happy." 

When  the  celebrated  Haydn  was  asked  how  all  his 
sacred  music  ^vas  so  cheerful,  the  great  composer  replied : 
"I  can  not  make  it  otherwise;  I  write  according  to  the 
thoughts  I  feel ;  when  I  think  upon  God,  my  heart  is  so 
full  of  joy,  that  the  notes  dance  and  leap,  as  it  were,  from 
my  pen  ;  and  since  God  has  given  me  a  cheerful  heart,  it 
will  be  pardoned  me  that  I  serve  him  with  a  cheerful 
spirit." 

A  CHEERFUL  WAY. 

"How  dismal  you  look!"  said  a  bucket  to  his  com- 
panion, as  they  were  going  to  a  well. 

"Ah!"  replied  the  other,  "I  was  reflecting  on  the  use- 
lessness  of  our  being  fllled  ;  for  let  us  go  away  ever  so  full, 
we  always  come  back  empty." 

"  Dear  me,  how  strange  to  look  at  it  in  that  way,"  said 
the  bucket.  "How  I  enjoy  the  thought,  that  however 
empty  we  come,  we  always  go  away  full.  Only  look  at  it 
in  that  light,  and  you  will  be  as  cheerful  as  I  am." 


THE  EIGHT  MOTIVE. 

When  Andrew  Fuller  went  into  his  native  town  to 
collect  for  the  cause  of  missions,  one  of  his  acquaintances 
said  : 


MORT  GEMS,  ANECDOTES,  ETC.       851 


"Well,  Andrew,  Til  give  five  pounds,  seeing  it  is  you.'''' 
"No,"  said   Mr.    Fuller,  "I  can   take  nothing  tor  this 

cause,  seeing  it's  me,"  and  handed  the  money  back. 
The  man  felt  reproved ;  but  in  a  moment  he  said, 
"Andrew,  you  are  right.     Here  are  ten  pounds,  seeing 

it's  for  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.''' 


"I  HATE  life,"  wrote  Voltaire  to  his  friend,  "and  yet  I 
am  atraid  to  die." 

Paul  wrote  to  Timothy  2  :  6-8  :  "I  am  now  ready  to  be 
offered,  and  the  time  of  my  departure  is  at  hand.  I  have 
fought  a  good  fight,  I  have  finished  my  course,  I  have  kept 
the  faith  ;  henceforth,  there  is  laid  up  for  me  a  crown  of 
righteousness,  which  the  Lord,  the  righteous  judge,  shall 
give  me  at  that  day:  and  not  to  me  only,  but  unto  all  them 
also  that  love  his  appearing." 


Living  is  death  ;  dying  is  life.  We  are  not  what  we 
appear  to  be.  On  this  side  of  the  grave,  we  are  exiles  ; 
on  that,  citizens;  on  this  side,  orphans;  on  that,  children; 
on  this  side,  captives ;  on  that,  freemen  ;  on  this  side,  dis- 
guised, unknown;  on  that,  disclosed  and  proclaimed  as 
the  sons  of  God.  —Beecher. 


TRIUMPHS  OF  FAITH. 

During  an  earthquake  that  occurred  a  few  years  since, 
the  inhabitants  of  a  small  village  were  generally  very 
much  alarmed,  but  they  were  at  the  same  time  surprised 


852  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

at  the  calmness  and  apparent  joy  of  an  old  lady  whom 
they  all  knew.  At  length  one  of  them,  addressing  the 
old  lady,  said:  "Mother,  are  you  not  afraid?"  "No," 
said  the  mother  in  Israel;  "I  rejoice  to  know  that  1  have 
a  God  that  can  shake  the  world. ' ' 


Nothing  in  this  world  should  deter  ns  from  the  daily 
and  hourly  discharge  of  duty.  When  a  supernatural  dark- 
ness shrouded  the  face  of  Nature,  and  predictions  had  been 
made  that  the  Day  of  Judgment  was  about  to  dawn, 
petitions  were  sent  to  Sir  Matthew  Hale,  to  adjourn  the 
court.  "No,"  said  he,  with  great  emphasis,  "if  this  is 
the  end  of  the  world,  I  wish  to  be  found  doing  my  duty." 


A  LEARNED  divine  accosted  a  simple-hearted  Christian  in 
this  way:  "Well,  John,  it  is  a  long  and  hard  way  to 
heaven,  is  it  not?"  "Oh,  no,  sir,"  he  answered;  "it  is 
only  three  steps."  "How  is  that,  John?"  "Why,  first 
step  out  of  yourself:  second,  step  into  Christ:  third,  step 
into  heaven."  The  minister  acknowledged  his  indebted- 
ness to  the  poor  rustic  for  one  of  his  most  comprehensive 
lessons  in  experimental  theology. 


THE  CHRISTIAN  A  ROYAL  PERSONAGE. 

A  POOR  but  pious  woman  called  upon  two  elegant  young- 
ladies,  who,  regardless  of  her  poverty,  invited  her  to  sit 
down   with  them  in  the  drawing-room,  and   entered   into 


SBOIiT  GEMS,  ANECDOTES,  ETC.       353 

conversation  with  her  upon  rehgions  subjects.  AVliile  thus 
einpk)jcd,  their  ])r()thcr,  a  dashing  youth,  by  c-hanee 
entered,  and  a])})eared  astonished  to  see  his  sisters  thus 
engaged.  One  of  them  instantlj-  exclaimed.  ''Brother, 
don't  be  surprised ;  this  is  a  king's  daughter,  though  she 
has  not  yet  put  on  her  fine  clothes." 


Any  spiritual  blessing  is  worth  more  than  the  most  costly 
temporal  good.  A  devout  thought,  a  pious  desire,  a  holy 
purpose,  is  better  than  a  great  estate  or  an  earthly  king- 
dom. In  eternity  it  will  amount  to  more  to  have  given  a 
cup  of  cold  water  with  right  motives  to  an  humble  servant 
of  God,  than  to  have  been  liattered  by  a  whole  generation. 

— Dr.  Plumer. 


THE  BIBLE  JUDGED  BY  ITS  FRUITS. 

A  EoMAN  Catholic  priest,  in  Belgium,  rebuked  a  young 
woman  and  her  brother  for  reading  that  '■'Bad  Book,^^ 
pointing  to  the  Bible.  "Mr.  Priest,"  she  replied,  "a 
little  while  ago  my  brother  was  an  idler,  a  gambler,  a 
drunkard,  and  made  such  a  noise  in  the  house  that  no  one 
could  stay  in  it.  Since  he  began  to  read  the  Bible,  he 
works  with  industry,  goes  no  longer  to  the  tavern,  no  longer 
touches  cards,  brings  home  his  money  to  his  poor  old 
mother,  and  our  life  at  home  is  quiet  and  delightful.  How 
comes  it,  Mr.  Priest,  that  a  bad  book  produces  such  good 
fruits?" 


354  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

Infidels  should  never  talk  of  our  giving  up  Christianity 
till  tliej  can  propose  something  superior  to  it.  Lord 
Chesterfield's  answer,  therefore,  to  an  infidel  lady,  was 
just.  When  at  Brussels,  he  was  invited  by  Yoltaire  to  sup 
with  him  and  Madame  C.  The  conversation  happening  to 
turn  upon  the  affairs  of  England,  "I  think,  my  lord," 
said  Madame  C,  "that  the  Parliament  of  England  con- 
sists of  five  or  six  hundred  of  the  best  informed  men  in 
the  kingdom?"  "True,  madam,  they  are  generally  sup- 
posed to  be  so."  "What,  then,  can  be  the  reason  they 
tolerate  so  great  an  absurdity  as  the  Christian  religion?" 
"I  suppose,  madame,"  replied  his  lordship,  "  it  is  because 
they  have  not  been  able  to  substitute  anything  better  in  its 
stead  ;  when  they  can,  I  do  not  doubt  but  in  their  wisdom 
they  will  readily  adopt  it."  —Arvine. 


OBJECT  OF  LIFE. 

Lady  Huntingdon,  one  evening,  was  on  her  way  to  a 
brilliant  assembly ;  when  suddenly  there  darted  into  her 
soul  these  words,  "Man's  chief  end  is  to  glorify  God, 
and  to  enjoy  Him  forever,"  which  she  had  committed  to 
memory  years  before  in  learning  the  Westminster  Shorter 
Catechism.  From  that  hour  her  whole  life  revolved 
round  a  new  center.  The  guilty,  trembling  sinner,  hitherto 
occupied  with  her  own  poor  self,  gazed  on  the  face  of  Him 
who  died  for  her  ;  and,  as  she  gazed,  her  conscience  found 
peace,  and  her  heart  a  satisfying  rest.  Her  whole  life 
became  one  "living  sacrifice." 


8II0RT  GEMS,  ANECDOTES,  ETC.      355 

WHAT  IS  WANTING. 

A  COURTIER,  riding  with  liis  sovereign  amidst  tlie 
acclamations  and  splendor  of  a  triumphal  procession,  askc'd 
him,  "What  is  wanting  hereT'  And  very  emphatic  was 
the  reply,  "Permanence."  Yes,  that  is  wanting.  The 
music,  the  huzzas,  the  parade  would  soon  be  over.  And 
so  with  all  those  things  on  which,  aside  from  God,  we 
depend  for  happiness. 


ONLY  ONE  DAY  AT  A  TIME. 

A  LADY  had  met  with  a  serious  accident  which  made  a 
painful  surgical  operation  necessary,  and  many  month's 
confinement  to  her  bed.  When  the  physician  had  finished 
his  w^ork,  and  was  about  to  take  his  leave,  she  asked, 
"Doctor,  how  long  shall  I  have  to  lie  here?"  "Oh,  only 
one  day  at  a  tiine,"  was  the  cheery  answer.  The  poor 
sufferer  was  comforted  for  the  moment ;  and  many  times 
during  the  following  weary  weeks  did  the  thought,  "Only 
one  day  at  a  time,"  come  back  with  its  quieting  influence. 


THE  PROMISED  STRENGTH. 

Dr.  Doddridge  was  walking  out  one  day,  in  a  very 
depressed  state  of  mind.  His  trials  at  that  time  were 
peculiarly  heavy;  he  saw  no  way  of  deliverance  from 
them,  and  he  was  greatly  discouraged.  As  he  passed 
along,  the  door  of  a  little  cottage  was  standing  open,  and 
he  heard  a  child's  voice  reading  the  words,  "  As  rnv  day 


356  FIFTY  TFAl^S  4^^D  BEYOND. 


so    SHALL   TKT    STRENGTH    BE."       Tlie    ?fl:ect  pi'OCluCed  OH  liis 

feelings  was  indescribable ;  his  heart  was  filled  with 
peace  and  joy.  One  divine  promise  like  the  above  is 
enough  to  chase  away  all  our  fears,  and  cheer  our  hearts. 
Our  wants  and  weaknesses  are  many,  but  He  knows  them 
all,  and  is  both  able  and  willing  to  supply  our  9very  need. 


A  HAPPY  RELIGION. 

Charles  Finney  and  Judge  Andrews  once  wcif,  to  see 
an  old  Christian  lady.  The  Judge  was  then  a  stranger  to 
religion.  This  woman,  who  was  no  half-hearted,  but  a 
full-souled  disciple,  and  whose  religion  made  her  happy, 
began  to  tell  what  Christ  had  done  for  her  with  so  much 
cheerfulness,  that  she  rivited  the  attention  of  Judge 
Andrews.  It  was  not  long  before  a  tear  moistened  his 
eye.  She  continued  her  evidently  happy  and  joyful  story 
in  God,  and  he  listened  for  forty-five  minutes,  and  became 
deeply  impressed.  When  he  and  Mr.  Finney  left,  he  said 
to  him,  "  If  this  is  the  religion  of  Jesus  Christ,  I  am 
determined  that  I  will  not  rest  till  I  possess  it,  and 
know  what  it  is." 


BLAMELESS,  NOT  FAULTLESS. 

No  Christian  is,  or  can  be,  faultless  before  the  Lord. 
Blameless  all  may,  and  ought  to  be.  The  child  that  does 
its  needle-work  faithfully,  is  commended,  though  not  a 
stitch  is  perfect.  The  child  is  blameless,  but  the  work  not 
faultless.     The    Christian  who  lives  up  to  his  light  and 


SHORT  GEMS,  ANECDOTES,  ETC.      357 


ability,  is  blameless,  but  in  God's  sight  fjiulty.  He  is  not 
conscious  of  his  defects,  his  eyes  are  not  sharp  as  God's ; 
his  best  eiforts  are  like  the  needle-work  of  the  little  irirl. 
well  done  for  her,  but  so  defective  in  fact,  that  every  stitch 
must  be  removed,  and  done  again  by  a  more  skillful  and 
experienced  hand.  Saints  sometimes  judge  themselves 
perfect  because  they  are  not  conscious  of  sin.  Thev  may 
be  innocent,  but  surely  are  not  perfect.  With  more  light 
and  culture  they  would  discern  defects.  Others  of  more 
experience,  observe  them  now,  because  sufficiently  educa- 
ted or  advanced  in  wisdom.  Tlie  novice  that  paints  a 
horrid  daub,  thinks  it  beautiful;  and  it  is  well  done  for 
him.  He  has  done  his  best,  and  is  blameless,  but  a  few 
months  of  training  make  him  hide  his  earlier  works  in 
shame.  Jesus  keeps  blameless  trusting  souls,  and  step  by 
step  leads  them  to  higher  culture,  richer  wisdom,  purer 
tastes,  until  they  attain  His  likeness  in  glory. 


BOTH  SIDES. 

After  one  of  the  noted  London  infidels  had  concluded 
one  of  his  infidel  lectures,  in  a  village  in  the  north  of  Eng- 
land, he  challenged  those  present  to  discussion.  Who 
should  accept  the  challenge,  but  an  old,  bent  woman,  in 
most  antiquated  attire,  who  went  up  to-  the  lecturer,  and 
said  : 

"  Sir,  I  have  a  question  to  put  to  you." 

"Well,  my  good  woman,  what  is  it?" 

"Ten  years  ago,"  she  said,  ''I  was  left  a  widow,  with 


358  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

eiglit  cliildren,  utterly  unprovided  for,  and  nothing  to  call 
my  own  but  this  Bible.  By  its  direction,  and  looking  to 
God  for  strength,  I  have  been  enabled  to  feed  myself  and 
family.  I  am  now  tottering  to  the  grave ;  but  I  aim  per- 
fectly happy,  because  I  look  forward  to  a  life  of  immortal- 
ity with  Jesus  in  heaven.  That's  what  my  religion  has 
done  for  me.  What  has  your  way  of  thinking  done  for 
you  ?" 

"Well,  my  good  lady,"  rejoined  the  lecturer,  "  I  don't 
want  to  disturb  your  comfort,  but 

"Oh!  that's  not  the  question,"  interposed  the  woman; 
"keep  to  the  point,  sir.  What  has  your  way  of  thinking 
done  for  you?" 

The  infidel  endeavored  to  shirk  the  matter  again  ;  the 
feeling  of  the  meeting  found  vent  in  uproarous  applause, 
and  the  skeptic  lecturer  had  to  go  away  discomfited  by  an 
old  Christian  woman. 


"ALL  FOE  THE  BEST." 

You  hear  old  Christians  say:  "Well,  it's  all  for  the 
best:"  and  you  may  think  it  is  cant.  There  is  no  cant 
about  it.  They  have  learned  that  all  is  for  the  best  in 
their  life's  history.  Bernard  Gilpin  was  to  be  tried  for  his 
faith  in  God,  aftd  to  be  put  to  death.  He  was  in  the  habit 
of  saying:  "It  is  all  for  the  best;  it  is  all  for  the  best." 
Starting  for  London  to  be  tried  for  his  life,  and  to  be 
executed,  he  broke  his  leg.  His  associates  said  in  derision  : 
"  I  suppose  you  think  this  is  for  the  best  ?"     "Of  course," 


SHORT  GEMS,  ANECDOTES,  ETC.       359 

said  he,  "it  is  for  the  best  my  leg  is  broken."  So  it 
proved.  Before  lie  got  well  enough  to  go  to  London, 
Queen  Mary  died,  and,  instead  of  Bernard  Gilpin  going  to 
London  to  be  tried  and  burned  for  Christ's  sake,  he  went 
home  free.  It  is  always  for  the  best.  "All  things  work 
together  for  good  to  those  that  love  God." 


"SITTING  UNDER  HIS  SHADOW." 

Many  years  ago,  one  stormy  winter  day,  a  minister  was 
visiting  one  of  his  people,  an  old  man,  who  lived  in 
poverty  in  a  lonely  cottage  a  few  miles  from  Jedburgh. 
He  found  him  sitting  with  the  Bible  open  upon  his  knees, 
but  in  outward  circumstances  of  great  discomfort,  the  snow 
drifting  through  the  roof  and  under  the  door,  and  scarcely 
an  ember  of  fire  upon  the  hearth. 

"What  are  you  about  to-day,  John?"  was  Mr.  Young's 
question,  on  entering. 

"Ah,  sir,"  said  the  happy  saint,  "I  am  sitting  under 
His  shadow  wi'  great  delight." 

Oh  wondrous  "consolation  in  Christ,"  the  river  which, 
from  the  beginning  of  time  to  the  end,  "  maketli  glad  the 
city  of  our  God  !" 


"WHOM  RESIST,  STEADFAST  IN  THE  FAITH." 

There  was  an  old  man  living  in  this  country,  a  Primitive 
Methodist.  He  was  one  day  talking  with  a  Christian 
brother  about  the  Bible,  when  Satan  was  spoken  of  as 


860  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

"very  wise."  "  O,  no,"  said  the  old  man,  not  wise,  or 
he  would  have  staved  in  heaven ;  but  he  is  very  artful. 
Never  parley  with  Satan,  else  he  will  trip  you  up.  When 
he  conies  to  trouble  me,  I  never  speak  to  him,  but  I 
always  introduce  him  to  his  betters  at  once." 

— Henry   Varley. 

Some  one  speaking  in  the  hearing  of  the  late  Daniel 
Webster,  of  the  sublime  poetry  of  the  Old  Testament,  the 
latter  at  once  and  seriously  replied,  "Ah!  my  friend,  the 
poetry  of  Isaiah,  and  Job,  and  Ilabakkuk  is  grand,  indeed ; 
but  when  you  have  lived,  as  I  have,  sixty-seven  ^^ears,  you 
will  give  more  for  the  14th  or  ITtli  chapter  of  John's 
Gospel,  or  for  one  of  the  Epistles,  than  for  all  the  poetry 
in  the  Bible." 


Christianity  is  not  talking  of  Christ,  but  walking  after 
Him.  Christ  has  many  to  follow  after  Him  in  the  calm, 
who  fly  from  Him  in  the  storm.  Withered  leaves  fall  off 
in  windy  weather,  so  do  dry  professors  in  time  of  tempta- 
tions.    They  that  endure  to  the  end  shall  be  saved. 

— Jackson. 

A  LADY  approached  a  professed  Christian  man,  with 
the  request  that  he  contribute  for  the  support  of  their 
pastor.  His  reply  consisted  of  that  last  resort  of  all 
mean,  close-fisted  professors,  "Salvation's  free."  She 
replied,  "That's  true;  but  we  must  pay  for  the  pitchers 
to  carry  it  in." 


SHORT  GEMS,  ANECDOTES,  ETC.       361 


God  is  our  Father.  Jleuvcu  is  His  liigh  thmiu',  and 
this  earth  is  His  foot-stool;  and  while  we  sit  an.und  and 
meditate,  or  pray,  one  by  one,  as  we  fall  asleep,  He  lifts 
ns  into  His  bosom,  and  our  awakening  is  inside  the  gates 
of  an  everlasting  world.  -Mountford. 


For  every  trial  that  God  sends  he  gives  sufficient  grace 
to  bear  it ;  but  he  promises  no  grace  to  bear  anticipation 
with,  and  we  little  know  how  large  a  portion  (.)f  our  mental 
sufierings  arise  from  anticipation  of  trials. 


The  Scriptures  give  four  names  to  Christians,  taken 
from  the  four  cardinal  graces :  Saints^  for  their  holiness ; 
Believer's^  for  their  faith ;  Brethren^  for  their  love ; 
Disciples^  for  their  knowledge. 


How  True. — Hannah  More  once  said,  that  there  is  one 
fact  which  offsets  all  the  wit  and  argument  of  infidelity, 
the  fact  that  no  one  ever  repented  of  Christianity  on  his 
death-bed. 


The  Christian. — What  he  Should  Be. — A  child  of  God 
should  be  a  visible  Beatitude,  for  joy  and  happiness,  and 
a  living  Doxology,  for  gratitude  and  adoration. 

— Spurgeon. 

As  Thou  wilt ;  what  Thou  wilt;  when  Thou  wilt. 

— J'homm  d  Kempis. 


3b2  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

Ours  is  a  religion  little  in  its  demands,  but  how  infinitely 
prodigal  in  its  gifts !  It  troubles  you  for  an  hour,  and 
repays  you  by  immortality.  —Bulwer  Lytton. 


True  Religion  shows  itself  in  every  part  of  our  con- 
duct ;  it  is  like  the  sap  of  a  living  tree,  which  penetrates 
the  most  distant  boughs. 


If  the  sun  has  gone  down,  look  up  at  the  stars.  If  the 
earth  is  dark,  keep  your  eyes  on  heaven.  With  God's 
presence  and  God's  promises,  you  may  be  always  cheerful. 


Christ  is  a  flower,  but  he  fadeth  not ;  he  is  a  river,  but 
he  is  never  dry ;  he  is  a  sun,  but  he  knoweth  no  eclipse  ; 
he  is  all  in  all,  but  he  is  something  more  than  all. 

— Spurgeon. 

The  work  that  is  to  tell  in  heaven,  must  be  that  which  is 
done  on  purpose  for  heaven.  The  work  that  is  done  for 
earth,  goes  down  with  us  to  our  graves. 


It  is  the  glory  of  a  good  man  that  his  influence  survives 
him.      "He  being  dead  yet  speaketh."  —Payson. 


OF  THE  AGED. 


CHEERFULNESS  IN  OLD  AGE. 

"Isj^j't  Aunt  Charity  a  darling  old  lady?"  said  one  of 
Aunt  Charity's  nieces. 

She  was,  indeed,  a  sunbeam.  The  strong,  resolute, 
brave  face  ;  the  white  hair  under  the  ]:)lain  cap  ;  the  sweet, 
smiling  mouth,  were  all  winning.  "We  could  depend  on 
tlie  motherly  woman  who  was  so  jolly,  so  full  of  fun  and 
frolic,  so  ready  to  join  in  whatever  mirth  was  afloat. 
Everybod}^  came  to  her  with  their  joys  and  thei\'  griefs, 
sure  of  sympathy.     An  hour  with  her  was  a  tonic. 

It  is  well  for  the  old  to  be  cheerful.  They  have  much  to 
depress  them.  Health  is  failing.  Friends  are  i)a8sing 
away.  Another  generation  is  on  the  stage.  Other  hands 
take  up  the  world's  work.  They  feel,  perhaps,  with  a 
bitter  regret,  that  they  are  not  needed  as  they  once  were. 
Nevertheless,  they  should  cultivate  every  source  of  happi- 
ness which  remains.  The  love  of  children  and  grandchil- 
dren, the  greater  dignity  and  larger  leisure  of  life,  and  the 
quiet  hours  they  can  have  for  communion  with  God,  should 
be  appreciated  highly.  They  should  get  into  tlie  habit  of 
saying,  good-morning  every  day,  to  this  world,  where  they 
have-  had  so  many  eager,  busy,  happy  and  holy  days. 


364  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

Rev.  Daniel  Waldo  once  said:  "I  am  an  old  man 
now  ;  I  liave  seen  nearly  a  century.  Do  you  want  to  grow 
old  slowly  and  happily?  Let  me  tell  you  how.  Always 
eat  slowly — masticate  well.  Go  to  your  occupation  smil- 
ing. Keep  a  good  nature  and  soft  temper  everywhere. 
Cultivate  a  good  memory,  and  to  do  this,  you  must  be 
communicative;  repeat  what  you  have  read,  talk  about  it. 
Dr.  Johnson's  great  memory  was  owing  to  his  communica- 
tiveness." 


Age  Lays  Open  the  Character. — Age  seems  to  take 
away  the  power  of  acting  a  character,  even  from  those  wlio 
have  done  so  the  most  successfully  during  the  main  part 
of  their  lives.  The  real  man  will  appear,  at  first  fitfully, 
and  then  predominately.  Time  spares  the  chiseled  beauty 
of  stone  and  marble,  but  makes  sad  havoc  in  plaster  and 
stucco. 


A  courteous  old  clergyman,  being  told  a  very  tough 
story,  said:  "Since  you  were  an  eye-witness,  I  suppose  I 
must  believe  you,  but  I  don't  think  I'd  have  believed  it  if 
I  had  seen  it  myself." 


Old  Age  Alleviated. — A  Persian  emperor  once  asked 
a  gray-haired  old  man,  "How  old  art  thou?"  "Just 
about  four  years,"  was  his  reply.  He  counted  only  the 
years  of  lus  regenerated  life. 


OF  THE  AGED.  365 


Selfishness  Eebuked. — A  poor  old  man,  busily  plant- 
ing an  apple-tree,  was  rudely  asked,  ""What  do  you  plant 
trees  for?  You  can't  expect  to  eat  the  fruit  of  them?" 
He  raised  himself  up,  and  leaning  upon  his  spade, 
answered,  "Some  one  planted  trees  before  I  was  born,  and 
I  have  eaten  the  fruit.  I  now  plant  for  others,  to  show  my 
gratitude  when  I  am  dead."  Thus  should  we  think  and 
act  for  the  welfare  of  others. 


Faithfulness  in  Old  Age. — "  Eighty-and-six  years," 
was  Poly  carp's  answer  when  required  to  deny  the  truth, 
"have  I  served  my  Saviour,  and  he  hath  never  done  me 
any  harm ;  and  shall  I  deny  him  now?" 


When  Dr.  Priestly  was  young,  he  preached,  that  old  age 
was  the  happiest  period  of  life ;  and  when  he  was  himself 
eighty,  he  wrote,  "I  have  found  it  so." 


THE  CHPJSTIAX  OLD  MAN. 

I  THINK  the  most  beautiful  object  on  earth  is  an  old  Christ- 
ian— the  hair  white,  not  with  the  frosts  of  winter,  but  with 
the  blossoms  of  the  true  life.  I  never  feel  sorry  f  )r  a 
Christian  old  man.  Why  feel  sorry  for  those  upon  whom 
the  fflories  of  the  eternal  world  are  about  to  burst? 

—  Talmage. 


366  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

CHRIST  THE  STAY  OF  THE  AGED. 

You  have  found  this  workl  a  rough  world  for  old  people. 
Alas!  to  have  aclies  and  pains,  and  no  Christ  to  soothe 
them!  I  want  to  give  you  a  cane,  better  than  that  you  lean 
on.  It  is  the  cane  that  the  Bible  speaks  of  when  it  says, 
"Thy  rod  and  Thy  staff  they  comfort  me."  I  want  to  give 
you  better  spectacles  than  those  you  look  through.  It  is 
the  spiritual  eyesight  of  divine  grace.  Does  your  head 
tremble  with  the  palsy  of  old  age?  Lay  it  on  Christ's 
bosom.  Do  you  feel  lonely  now  that  your  companions  and 
children  are  gone  ?  I  think  that  Christ  has  them.  They 
are  safe  in  His  keeping.  Very  soon  He  will  take  you 
where  they  are.  —Talmage. 


JESUS. 

"Talk  to  me  of  Jesus,"  said  an  aged  Christian,  when 
on  the  banks  of  the  river  that  was  soon  to  bear  him  away. 
"Tell  me  of  him  whom  my  soul  loveth,  and  of  the  'many 
mansions '  where  he  dwells  with  his  own  in  glory,  and 
where  I  shall  'soon  see  him  as  he  is.'  It  is  the  news  of 
the  Master's  household  I  long  to  hear ;  the  advancement 
of  his  cause,  and  the  progress  of  his  kingdom.  Do  not 
tell  me  of  things  that  are  passing  away  ;  I  care  not  for 
them.  Tliis  world  and  all  its  possessions  must  soon  be 
burned  up,  and  wherefore  should  they  dwell  in  my  affec- 
tions ?  I  have  a  home  that  fire  can  not  touch  ;  a  kingdom 
and  a  crown  that  fade  not  away ;  and  why  should  I  be  con- 
cerned about  affairs  of  the  day?" 


dF  THE  AGED.  367 


A  BEAUTIFUL  FIGURE. 

Mr.  Webster  visited  Mr.  Adams  a  short  time  before  his 
deatli,  and  found  him  reclining  on  a  sofa,  evidently  in  feeble 
health.     He  remarked  to  Mr.  Adams: 

"  I'm  glad  to  see  you,  sir.  I  hope  you  are  getting  along 
pretty  well." 

"Ah,  sir,  quite  the  contrary.  I  find  I  am  a  poor  tenant, 
occupying  a  house  much  shattered  by  time.  It  sways  and 
trembles  with  every  wind,  and  what  is  worse,  sir,  the  land- 
lord, as  near  as  I  can  make  out,  don't  intend  to  make  any 
repairs." 

A  GOOD  WOMAN  NEVER  GROWS  OLD. 

Years  may  pass  over  her  head,  but  if  benevolence  and 
virtue  dwell  in  her  heart,  she  is  as  cheerful  as  when  the 
spring  of  life  opened  to  her  view.  When  we  look  at  a  good 
woman  we  never  think  of  her  age,  she  looks  as  charming 
as  when  the  rose  of  youth  first  bloomed  on  her  cheek. 
That  rose  has  not  faded  yet;  it  will  never  fade.  In  her 
neighborhood  she  is  everybody's  friend  and  benefactor. 
Who  does  not  respect  and  love  the  woman  who  has  passed 
her  days  in  acts  of  kindness  and  mercy?  We  repeat,  such 
a  woman  can  never  grow  old.  She  will  always  be  fresh 
and  buoyant  in  spirits,  and  active  in  deeds  of  mercy  and 
benevolence. 

The  young  lady  who  desires  to  retain  the  bloom  and 
beauty  of  youth,  let  her  not  yield  to  the  sway  of  fashion  or 
folly,  and  let  her  love  truth  and  virtue. 


368  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 


HAPPINESS  OF  OLD  AGE. 

As  ripe  fruit  is  sweeter  than  green  fruit,  so  is  age 
sweeter  tlian  youth,  provided  the  youth  were  grafted  into 
Christ.  As  liarvest-time  is  a  brighter  time  than  seed-time, 
so  is  age  brighter  than  youth ;  that  is,  if  youth  were  a  seed- 
time for  good.  As  the  completion  of  a  worlv  is  more  glo- 
rious than  the  beginning,  so  is  age  more  glorious  than 
youth;  that  is,  if  the  foundation  of  the  work  of  God  were 
laid  in  youth.  As  sailing  into  port  is  a  happier  thing  than 
the  voyage,  so  is  age  happier  than  youth;  that  is,  when  the 
voyage  from  youth  is  made  with  Christ  at  the  helm. 

— J.  Puhford. 

Useless,  do  you  say  you  are  ?  You  are  of  great  use. 
You  really  are.  How  are  you  useful  ?  By  being  a  man  or 
woman  that  is  old.  Your  old  age  is  a  public  good.  It  is, 
indeed.  No  child  ever  listens  to  your  talk  without  having 
good  done  to  it,  that  no  schooling  could  do.  When  you 
are  walking,  no  one  ever  opens  a  gate  for  you  to  pass 
through,  and  no  one  ever  honors  you  with  any  kind  of 
help,  without  being  himself  the  better  for  what  he  does ; 
for  fellow-feeling  with  you  ripens  his  soul  for  him. 

— Mountford. 

Pkayee. — It  is  said  of  that  good  old  man,  John  Quincy 
Adams,  that  he  never  went  to  his  rest  at  night  until  he  had 
repeated  the  simple  prayer  he  had  learned  in  childhood, 
the  familiar  "Now  I  lay  me  down  to  sleep." 


OF  THE  AGED.  369 


OLD  AGE  WITHOUT  RELIGION. 

Alas,  for  him  who  grows  old  without  growing  wise,  and 
to  whom  the  future  world  does  not  set  open  her  gates, 
when  he  is  excluded  from  the  present.  The  Lord  deals  so 
gently  with  us  in  the  decline  of  life,  that  it  is  a  shame  to 
turn  a  deaf  ear  to  the  lessons  which  he  gives.  The  eye 
becomes  dim,  the  ear  dull,  the  tongue  falters,  all  the  senses 
refuse  to  do  their  otKce,  and  from  every  side  resounds  the 
call,  "Set  thine  house  in  order."  The  playmates  of  youth, 
the  fellow-laborers  of  manhood  die  away,  and  take  the 
road  before  us.  Old  age  is  like  some  quiet  chamber,  in 
which,  disconnected  from  the  visible  world,  we  can  prepare 
in  silence  for  the  world  that  is  unseen. 


DUTIES  OF  THE  AGED. 

An  agent  of  missions  says:  "I  was  deeply  impressed 
by  an  aged  brother,  who  gave  me  forty  thousand  dollars  to 
be  divided  between  the  Freedman  and  Foreign  Missions. 
When  I  called  on  this,  brother,  he  asked,  '  Have  you  come 
on  a  money  tour?  For,'  said  he,  'I  have  just  been  think- 
ing that  I  have  a  little  money  which  I  should  like  to  give 
for  some  benevolent  purpose.  I  am  an  aged  man.  My 
pilgrimage  is  almost  ended.  What  I  do  I  must  do  quickly. 
I  wish  to.show  that  I  am  a  Christian  by  my  works;  but  1 
do  not  depend  on  this  for  salvation.  My  dependence  is  on 
Jesus.'  He  said,  '  If  I  could  write,  I  would  tell  the  aged 
that  what  they  do,  they  nmst  do  quickly.'  " 


370  FIFTY  TFAIiS  AND  BEYOND. 

The  Young  to  Take  Our  Places. — As  we  get  older,  do 
not  let  us  be  affronted  if  young  men  and  women  crowd  us 
a  little.  "We  will  have  Lad  our  day,  and  we  must  let  them 
have  theirs.  When  our  voices  get  cracked,  let  us  not 
snarl  at  those  who  can  warble.  When  our  knees  are 
stiffened,  let  us  have  patience  with  those  who  go  fleet  as 
the  deer.  Because  our  leaf  is  fading,  do  not  let  us  despisf 
the  unfrosted.  —Talmaye. 


HOPEFUL  OLD  AGE. 

Mr.  Venn,  conversing  with  a  stranger,  was  thus  ad- 
dressed :  "  Sir,  I  think  you  are  on  the  wrong  side  of 
fifty?"  "On  the  wrong  side  of  fifty !"  answered  Mr. 
Yenn,  "  No,  sir  ;  I  am  on  the  right  side  of  iifty."  "  Sure- 
ly," the  other  replied,  "you  must  be  turned  fifty."  "  Yes, 
sir,"  added  Mr.  Yenn,  "but  I  am  on  the  right  side  of 
fifty ;  for  every  year  I  live,  I  am  nearer  my  crown  oi 
glory." 

"I  AM  on  the  bright  side  of  seventy,"  said  an  aged  man 
of  God;  "  the  bright  side,  because  nearer  to  everlasting 
glory."  "  Nature  fails,"  said  another,  "  but  I  am  happy." 
"  My  work  is  done,"  said  the  Countess  of  Huntingdon, 
when  eighty-four  years  old.  "  I  have  nothing  to  do  but  to 
go  to  my  father."  To  an  humble  Christian  it  was  remarked, 
"  I  fear  you  are  near  another  world."  "Fear  it,  sir!" 
he  replied  ;  "I  know  I  am  ;  but  blessed  be  the  Lord  !  I 
do  not  fear  it ;  I  hope  it. ' ' 


OF  THE  AGED.  371 


THE  CHEISTIAN'S  LEGACY. 

A  PIOUS  old  man  was  one  day  walking  to  the  sanctuary, 
with  a  Testament  in  his  hand,  when  a  friend  who  met  liim 
said,  "  Good-morning,  Mr.  Price  !"  "  Ah,  good-morning," 
replied  he  :  "  I  am  reading  My  Father's  Will  as  I  walk 
along."  "Well,  what  has  he  left  you?"  said  his  friend. 
"Why,  he  has  bequeathed  me  a  hundred-fold  more  in  this 
life,  and  in  the  world  to  come,  life  everlasting."  This 
beautiful  reply  was  the  means  of  comforting  his  Christian 
friend,  who  was  at  the  time  in  sorrowful  circumstances. 


JESUS  IN  OLD  AGE. 

It  is  dismal  to  get  old,  without  the  rejuvenating  influ- 
ence of  religion.  When  we  step  on  the  down-grade  of 
life,  and  see  that  it  dips  to  the  verge  of  the  cold  river,  we 
want  to  behold  some  one  near  who  will  help  us  across. 
When  the  sight  loses  its  power,  we  need  the  faith  that  can 
illuminate.  When  we  feel  the  failure  of  the  ear,  we  need 
the  dear  tones  of  the  divine  voice.  When  axe-men  of 
death  hew  down  whole  forests  of  strengtli  and  beauty 
around  us,  and  we  are  left  in  solitude,  we  need  the  dove 
to  sing;  in  our  branches.  —Talmage. 


Hopeless  Old  Age.— There  is  not  a  more  repulsive 
spectacle  than  an  old  man  who  will  not  forsake  the  world 
which  has  already  forsaken  him.  —Tholuck. 


372         FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 


GETTING  NEARER  TO  CHRIST. 

A  FEW  years  since  a  Christian  company  visited  a  Soutli- 
ern  plantation.  Among  tlie  slaves  was  an  old  man,  with 
whom  the  following  conversation  was  held  :  "  You  are  an 
old  man;  will  you  not  soon  die?"  "Yes:  I  know  I 
must."  "Where  do  you  expect  to  go?"  "I  think  I 
shall  go  to  the  good  land."  "  Why  do  you  think  you  will 
go  there  ?"  "I  can  not  tell;  but  the  nearer  I  come  to 
death,  somehow,  Jesus  and  I  get  nearer  together." 


VIGOROUS  OLD  AGE. 

John  Wesley  preached,  on  an  average,  fifteen  sermons 
a  week.  Instead  of  breaking  down  under  it,  when  seventy- 
three  years  old  he  said  that  he  was  far  abler  to  preach  than 
when  three-and-twenty.  His  brow  was  then  smooth,  his 
complexion  ruddy,  and  his  voice  strong  and  clear,  so  that 
an  audience  of  thirty  thousand  could  hear  him  without 
difficulty.  This  vigor  he  ascribed  to  continual  traveling, 
early  rising,  good  sleep,  and  an  even  temper.  '-''Ifeel 
and  grieve^ ' '  he  said,  ' '  but,  by  the  grace  of  God,  I  fret  at 
nothing.  " 


Old  Age. — Winter,  which  strikes  the  leaves  from  around 
us,  makes  us  see  the  distant  regions  they  formerly  con- 
cealed, says  Jean  Paul;  and  so  does  age  rob  us  of  our  enjoy- 
ments only  to  enlarge  the  prospect  of  eternity  before  us. 


OF  THE  AGED.  373 


SECOND  CHILDHOOD. 

Rev.  Dr.  Xott  sank  into  a  second  childhood  that  was 
peculiarly  tender.  The  last  hours  of  his  life  were  partic- 
ularly impressive.  He  lay  on  his  bed,  and  apparently 
unconscious.  His  wife  sat  by  his  bedside,  and  sang  to  him, 
day  by  day,  the  songs  of  his  childhood.  He  was  hushed 
to  repose  by  them,  like  an  infant  on  its  pillow.  Watts' 
cradle  hymn,  "Hush,  my  dear!  lie  still  and  slumber," 
always  soothed  him.  Visions  of  home  floated  before  him, 
and  the  name  of  his  mother  was  frequently  on  his  lips. 
The  last  time  he  conducted  family  devotions  with  his 
household,  he  closed  his  prayer  with  the  well-known  lines, 
"  Now  I  lay  me  down  to  sleep,"  etc. 


AT  EVENTIDE  IT  SHALL  BE  LIGHT. 

"Old  age,"  says  one  whose  words  have  survived  his 
name,  "is  a  blessed  time,  when  looking  back  over  th& 
follies,  sins  and  mistakes  of  life,  too  late,  indeed,  to  remedy, 
but  not  too  late  to  repent — we  may  put  off  earthly  garments 
one  by  one,  and  dress  ourselves  for  heaven.  Griefs  that 
are  heavy  to  the  young,  are,  to  the  old,  calm  and  almost 
joyful,  as  tokens  of  the  near  and  ever  nearing  time  when 
there  shall  be  no  more  death,  neither  sorrow,  nor  crying, 
neither  any  more  pain."  Even  though  walking  in  dark- 
ness for  awhile,  the  aged  have  the  sure  promise,  "At  even- 
tide it  shall  be  light." 


374         FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

AFTER  MAKF  DAYS. 

An  old  woman  of  eighty  wished  to  become  a  Christian. 
But  there  was  difficulty  in  the  way.  So  she  asked  several 
Hends  to  come  with  the  minister  and  talk  with  her.  She  ad- 
mitted the  truth  of  all  they  said,  but  something  held  her  back. 

Said  the  minister:  "Why  not  give  yourself  now,  within 
ten  minutes?" 

O,  she  could  not! 

"Why  not?" 

She  wanted  time,  she  said :  it  was  too  sudden.  Ten 
minutes!     O  no!     She  must  have  time  to  think  about  it. 

"You  are  old,"  said  the  minister;  "how  long  have  you 
been  thinking  about  it  already?" 

She  paused  a  moment ;  then  said  slowly  :  "Fifty  years." 

"  Fifty  years  ! "  cried  the  minister;  "and  yet  you  want 
more  time!     Isn't  fifty  years  enough?" 

That  was  a  new  way  of  looking  at  it.    Fifty  years,  indeed ! 

"What  shall  I  do?"  she  eagerly  asked. 
.   "Do   nothing,"  was  the  answer;   "but  leave  all  with 
God.     Let  us  pray  to  him  to  lift  the  burden." 

So  they  prayed.  And  suddenly,  when  she  no  longer 
pleaded  for  time,  light  came  through  the  darkness,  and  the 
burden  rolled  away. 


It  is  said  of  John  Wesley,  that  he  became  more  cheerful 
as  he  grew  older,  because  of  his  good  hope  for  the  life  to 
come.  And  of  John  Keble,  that  in  his  later  years  his  face 
seemed  to  be  ever  illumined  with  the  light  of  heaven. 


OF  THE  AGED.  375 


AGE. 

The  veneration  which  graj  hairs  command,  puts  it  in  the 
power  of  the  aged  to  niaititaiii  a  very  important  place  in 
human  society.  They  are  so  far  from  being  insignificant 
in  the  world,  that  families  long  held  together  by  their 
authority,  and  societies  accustomed  to  be  guided  by  their 
counsel,  have  frequently  had  cause  to  regret  their  loss  more 
than  that  of  the  most  vigorous  and  young.  "  I  said,  age 
should  speak,  and  multitude  of  years  should  teach  wis- 
dom. Therefore,  thou  shalt  rise  up  before  the  hoary  head, 
and  honor  the  face  of  the  old  man."  —Blair. 


A  Thoughtful  Provision  for  the  Aged  and  Infirm  in  a 
Church. — In  the  Presbyterian  Church  of  the  Puritans,  on 
Fifth  Avenue  and  One  Hundred  and  Thirtieth  Street,  New 
York,  is  a  private  stair-way,  out  of  sight  of  the  congrega- 
tion, leading  to  a  room  in  the  chancel  part  of  the  building, 
furnished  with  easy-chairs  and  lounges,  and  known  as  the 
invalid  chamber.  It  was  provided  for  the  benefit  of  the 
aged  and  sick,  who  can  not  undergo  the  fatigue  of  sitting 
throughout  the  service  in  a  pew. 


An  aged  Christian,  living  in  the  poor-house,  while  con- 
versing with  a  minister,  showed  signs  of  much  joy.  As  a 
reason  for  it,  she  said,  "6>  sir!  I  was  just  thinking  what  a 
change  it  will  he  from  the  poor-house  to  heaven,''' 


376  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

GEO  WING  OLD. 

It  is  the  solemn  thought  connected  with  middle  life, 
says  the  late  F.  W.  Robertson,  that  life's  last  business  is 
begun  in  earnest ;  and  it  is  then,  midway  between  the 
cradle  and  the  grave,  that  a  man  begins  to  marvel  that  he 
let  the  days  of  youth  go  by  so  half-enjoyed.  It  is  the  pen- 
sive autumn  feeling  ;  it  is  the  sensation  of  half  sadness 
that  we  experience  when  the  longest  day  of  the  year  is 
past,  and  every  day  that  follows  is  shorter,  and  the  light 
fainter,  and  the  feebler  shadows  tell  that  nature  is  has- 
tening with  gigantic  footsteps  to  her  winter  grave.  So 
does  man  look  upon  his  youth.  When  the  first  gray  hairs 
become  visible,  when  the  unwelcome  truth  fastens  itself 
upon  the  mind,  that  a  man  is  no  longer  going  up  hill,  but 
down,  and  that  the  sun  is  always  westering,  he  looks  back 
on  tilings  behind.  When  we  were  children,  we  thought  as 
children.  But  now  there  lies  before  us  manhood,  with  its 
earnest  work,  and  then  old  age,  and  then  the  grave,  and 
then  home.  There  is  a  second  youth  for  man,  better  and 
holier  than  his  first,  if  he  will  look  on  and  not  back. 


Old  age  has  no  terrors  for  Victor  Hugo,  who  is  said  to 
have  acknowledged  that  passing  from  thirty-nine  to  forty 
was  the  most  trying  time  in  his  life.  "  But,"  said  a  friend, 
"I  should  think  it  a  great  deal  better  to  be  forty  than 
fifty."  ''Not  at  all,"  replied  Hugo;  "forty  years  is  the 
old  age  of  youth,  while  fifty  yem"§  is  the  youth  of  old  age." 


OF  THE  A  GED.  377 

An  aged  Christian  was  once  asked,  by  some  thoughtless 
people,  why  he  deprived  himself  of  so  many  worldly 
pleasures.  "It.  is  all  very  well,"  said  they,  "to  serve 
God,  but  you  ought  to  serve  yourself  too."  "  That  is  the 
very  thing,"  replied  he,  "that  I  am  trying  after;  for  I 
have  long  since  found  out  that  I  get  ten  times  more  in 
obeying  God  than  in  obeying  my  own  evil  heart." 


Comfort  in  Old  Age. — A  cheerful,  tottering,  poor  old 
man,  of  eighty-one,  said,  "  Thank  God,  I  have  my  wits 
and  my  limbs.  I  never  was  in  prison,  and  I  am  not  going 
to  hell.  I  am  the  Lord's.  So  while  I  see  everybody  in 
this  busy  world  looking  keenly  as  they  do,  after  their  own, 
the  sight  helps  me  to  believe,  and  I  am  comforted  in  the 
faith,  that  Jesus  is  looking  after  me,  and  he  will  take  me 
soon."  —T.  Collins. 


Bringing  forth  Fruit  in  Old  Age. — Such  was  the  de- 
sire of  that  holy  man,  the  Rev.  John  Eliot,  to  do  his  Mas- 
ter's work,  that  on  the  day  of  his  death,  in  his  80th  year, 
he  was  found  teaching  the  alphabet  to  an  Indian  child  at 
his  bedside.  "Why  not  rest  from  your  labors  now?" 
said  a  friend.  "  Because  I  have  prayed  to  God  to  make 
me  useful  ;  and  now  that  I  can  no  longer  preach,  he  leaves 
me  strength  enough  to  teach  this  poor  child  his  alphabet." 
This  good  man  was  very  justly  called  The  Apostle  to  tJie 
Indiaiu, 


378         FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

I  WAS  told  of  a  poor  peasant  on  the  Welsh  mountains 
who,  month  after  month,  year  after  year,  through  a  long 
period  of  declining  life,  was  used  every  morning,  as  soon 
as  he  awoke,  to  open  his  casement  window  towards  the 
east,  and  look  out  to  see  if  Jesus  Christ  was  coming.  He 
was  no  calculator,  or  he  need  not  have  looked  so  long ;  he 
was  no  student  of  prophecy,  or  he  need  not  have  looked  at 
all ;  he  was  ready,  or  he  would  not  have  been  in  so  much 
haste  ;  he  was  willing,  or  he  would  rather  have  looked 
another  way ;  he  loved,  or  it  would  not  have  been  the  first 
thought  of  the  morning.  His  master  did  not  come,  but  a 
messenger  did,  to  fetch  the  ready  one  home.  The  same 
preparation  sufliced  for  both ;  the  longing  soul  was  satis- 
fied with  either.  Often  when,  in  the  morning,  the  child  of 
God  awakes,  weary  and  encumbered  with  the  flesh,  per- 
haps from  troubled  dreams,  perhaps  with  troubled  thoughts, 
his  Father's  secret  comes  presently  across  him,  he  looks 
up,  if  not  out,  to  feel,  if  not  to  see,  the  glories  of  that  last 
morning  when  the  trumpet  shall  sound,  and  the  dead  shall 
arise  incorruptible,  no  weary  limbs  to  bear  the  spirit  down  ; 
no  feverish  dreams  to  haunt  the  vision ;  no  dark  forecast- 
ing of  the  day's  events,  or  returning  memory  of  the  griefs 
of  yesterday.  p^y^ 

Computing  Age. — An  old  slave,  who  could  neither  read 
nor  write,  was  asked  how  old  he  was.  He  did  not  know, 
but  said  he  could  tell  how  long  he  had  been  the  Lord's 
child.  He  brought  out  a  bottle  into  which  he  had  dropped 
a  pebble  every  Christmas  since  his  conversion.  It  con- 
tained fifty-one  pebbles. 


OF  THE  A  GED.  379 


Approach  of  Old  Age. — Old  age,  says  the  proverb,  is  a 
courtier :  he  knocks  again  and  again,  at  the  window  and  at 
the  door,  and  makes  us  everywhere  conscious  of  liis  pres- 
ence. Woe  to  the  man  wlio  becomes  old  without  becom- 
ing wise.     "Woe  to  him,  if  this  world  shuts  the  door  without 

the  future  having  opened  its  portals  to  him. 

—Tholuck. 


Glorious  Old  Age — If  Found  in  the  "Wat  of  Right- 
eousness ! — IIow  beautiful  the  old  age  of  Jacob,  leaning  on 
tlie  top  of  his  staff;  of  John  Quincy  Adams,  falling  with 
the  harness  on ;  of  "Washington  Irving,  sitting,  pen  in 
hand,  amid  the  scenes  himself  had  made  classical ;  of 
John  Angell  James,  to  the  last  proclaiming  the  Gospel  to 
the  masses  of  Birmingham  ;  of  Theodore  Frelinghuysen, 
down  to  feebleness  and  emaciation,  devoting  his  illustrious 
faculties  to  the  kingdom  of  God.  —Talmage. 


OF  DYING. 


THE  GEEAT  MYSTERY. 

The  following  beautiful  passage  is  taken  from  Timothy 
Titcomb's  "Preachings  upon  Popular  Proverbs": 

"The  body  is  to  die;  so  much  is  certain.  What  lies 
beyond  ?  No  one  who  passes  the  charmed  boundary  comes 
to  tell.  The  imagination  visits  the  realm  of  shadows — sent 
out  from  some  window  of  the  soul  over  life's  restless 
waters — but  wings  its  way  wearily  back  with  no  olive-leaf 
in  its  beak  as  a  token  of  emerging  life  beyond  the  closely 
bending  horizon.  The  great  sun  comes  and  goes  in 
heaven,  yet  breathes  no  secret  of  the  ethereal  wilderness. 
The  crescent  moon  cleaves  her  nightly  passage  across  the 
upper  deep,  but  tosses  overboard  no  message  and  displays 
no  signals.  The  sentinel  stars  challenge  each  other  as 
they  walk  their  nightly  rounds,  but  we  catch  no  syllable  of 
their  countersign  which  gives  passage  to  the  heavenly 
camp.  Shut  in !  Shut  in !  Between  this  and  the  other  life 
there  is  a  great  gulf  fixed,  across  which  neither  eye  nor 
foot  can  travel.  The  gentle  friend,  whose  eyes  we  closed 
in  their  last  sleep  long  years  ago,  died  with  rapture  in  her 
wonder-stricken  eyes,  a  smile  of  ineffable  joy  upon  her 
lips,  and  hands  folded  over  a  triumphant  heart ;  but  her 
lips  were  past  speech,  and  intimated  nothing  of  the  vision 
that  enthralled  her." 


OF  DYING.  381 

THE  DYING  CHRISTIAN  ON  THE  LAST 
SUMMIT  OF  LIFE. 

Dr.  Clarke,  in  his  travels,  speaking  of  the  companies 
that  were  traveling  from  the  East  to  Jerusalem,  represents 
the  procession  as  very  long ;  and  after  climbing  over  the 
extended  and  heavy  ranges  of  hills  that  bounded  the  way, 
some  of  the  foremost  at  length  reached  the  top  of  the  last 
hill,  and,  stretching  up  their  hands  in  gestures  of  joy, 
cried  out,  "The  holy  city!  the  holy  city!"  and  fell  down 
and  worshiped ;  while  those  who  were  behind  pressed 
forward  to  see.  So  the  dying  Christian,  when  he  gets  on 
the  last  summit  of  life,  and  stretches  his  vision  to  catch  a 
glimpse  of  the  heavenly  city,  may  cry  out  of  its  glories, 
and  incite  those  who  are  behind  to  press  forward  to  the 
sight.  —Pnyson. 


DR.  SEWALL,  OF  WASHINGTON. 

Dr.  Sewall,  an  old  Methodist,  of  Washington  City, 
when  dying,  shouted  aloud  the  praises  of  God.  His 
friends  said,  "  Dr.  Sewall,  don't  exert  yourself;  whisper, 
Doctor,  whisper."  "Let  angels  whisper,"  said  he,  "let 
angels  whisper,  but  a  soul  cleansed  from  all  sin  by  the 
blood  of  Christ ;  a  soul  redeemed  from  death  and  hell,  just 
on  the  threshold  of  eternal  glory — Oh,  if  I  had  a  voice  that 
would  reach  from  pole  to  pole,  I  would  proclaim  it  to  all 
the  world  !  Victory  !  Victory  through  the  blood  of  the 
Lamb  !  "  —Rev.  Wm.  Taylor. 


382         FIFTY  TFAR&  AND  BEYOND. 

SENx\TOE  FOOTE,  OF  VERMONT. 

"I  have  been  thinking  much  of  these  two  lines: 

"  'Here,  Lord,  I  give  myself  away, 
'Tis  all  that  I  can  do.' 

"I  begin  to  understand  that  this  comprehends  all ;  and\. 
am  beginning  to  lean  alone  on  Jesus  Christ  as  my  Saviour 
and  Friend."  At  the  last,  with  eyes  all  full  of  celestial 
radiance,  he  lifted  his  hands,  and  looked  up,  exclaiming, 
' '  I  see  it,  I  see  it !  The  gates  are  wide  open !  Beautiful, 
beautiful!" 


DEATH. 


Let  dissolution  come  when  it  will,  it  can  do  the  Christ- 
ian no  harm:  for  it  will  be  but  a  passage  out  of  a  prison 
into  a  palace  ;  out  of  a  sea  of  troubles  into  a  haven  of  rest ; 
out  of  a  crowd  of  enemies  into  an  innumerable  company  of 
true,  loving,  and  faithful  friends;  out  of  sham,  reproach, 
and  contempt,  into  exceeding  great  and  eternal  glory. 

— Bunyan. 

After  the  death  of  Abderrahman,  Caliph  of  Cordova, 
the  following  in  his  own  handwriting  was  found:  "Fifty 
years  have  elapsed  since  I  became  Caliph.  I  have  pos- 
sesseci  riches,  honors,  pleasures,  friends  ;  in  short,  every- 
thing that  man  can  desire  in  this  world.  I  have  reckoned 
up  the  days  in  which  I  could  say  I  was  really  happy,  and 
they  amount  \.o  four  teeny 


OF  DYING.  383 


"I  WANT  to  talk  to  you  about  heaven,"  said  a  dying 
parent  to  a  member  of  his  family.  "We  may  not  be 
spared  to  each  other  long:  may  we  meet  around  the  throne 
of  glory,  one  family  in  heaven!"  Overpowered  at  the 
thought,  liis  beloved  daughter  exclaimed,  ''  Surely  you  do 
not  think  there  is  any  danger  ?"  "Danger!  my  darling. 
Oh  !  do  not  use  that  word.  There  can  be  no  danger  to  the 
Christian,  whatever  may  happen.  All  is  right  ;  all  is  well. 
God  is  love.  All  is  well — everlastingly  well — everlastingly 
well."  —Stevenson. 

HAPPINESS  m  DEATH. 

"How  hard  it  is  to  die!"  remarked  a  friend  to  an 
expiring  believer.  "Oh,  no,  no!"  he  replied;  "easy 
dying,  glorious  dying!"  Looking  up  to  the  clock,  he 
said,  "  I  have  experienced  more  happiness  in  dying  two 
hours  this  day,  than  in  my  whole  life.  It  is  worth  a  whole 
life  to  have  such  an  end  as  this.  Oh !  I  never  thought 
that  such  a  worm  as  I  should  come  to  such  a  glorious 
death."  —Thomson. 

DR.   DUFF. 

When  the  announcement  was  made  to  Dr.  Duif,  the 
venerable  missionary,  that  he  could  not  get  well,  he  said : 
"Yes,  I  have  had  glimmerings  of  that  for  some  time,  but 
I  am  iii  my  Father's  hands.  In  my  own  mind,  I  see  the 
whole  scheme  of  redemption  from  eternity  more  clear  and 
fflorious  than  I  ever  did!" 


384  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 


CROWNING  CHRIST. 

A  lady,  while  on  a  visit  to  the  Exposition  at  Paris,  died. 
During  her  last  monients,  speech  had  left  her  ;  but  she 
managed   to  articulate  the  word  "Bring."      Her  friends, 
in  ignorance  of  her  meaning,  offered  her  food  ;   but    she 
shook  her  head,  and  again  repeated  the  word  "Bring." 
They  then  offered  her  grapes,  which  she  also  declined,  and 
for  the  third  time  uttered  the  word  "Bring."     Thinking 
she  desired  to  see  some  absent  friends,  they  brought  them 
to  her ;  but   again  she  shook  her  head  ;    and  then,  by  a 
great  effort,  she  succeeded  in  completing  the  sentence — 
"Bring  forth  the  royal  diadem, 
And  crown  him  Lord  of  all," 
and  tb<5n  passed  quietly  to  be  with  Jesus. 

— Newman  Hall. 


REY.  DR.  McCLINTOCK. 

During  the  night  before  his  death,  about  midnight,  he 
awoke  to  consciousness,  and  recognized  his  son,  and  his 
colleague,  Doctor,  now  Bishop  Foster.  "Foster,  is  that 
you?  I  am  very  sick,  am  I  not?"  "Yes,"  was  the 
answer,  "You  are  very  sick,  but  we  hope  that  you  may 
recover  yet."  "No!  No!"  said  the  patient,  "but  no 
matter  wliat  the  event,  it's  all  right."  And  pausing  a 
moment,  as  if  meditating,  added,  "It's  all  right,  all  right." 
These  were  his  last  words. 


OF  DYING.  385 

FATHER  TAYLOR'S  DEATH. 

There  was  an  aged  saint  of  eighty-six  years,  the  Rev. 
Mr.  Taylor,  familiai'ly  termed  Father  Taylor,  the  famous 
sailor-preacher,  of  Boston,  whose  mind  had  so  failed  that 
he  did  not  recognize  even  his  own  daughter.  A  witness 
saj'S,  that  very  touching  was  the  scene  on  the  last  night  of 
his  life.  He  called  his  daughter  to  his  bedside,  as  if  she 
were  his  mother,  saying,  like  a  little  child,  "Mother,  come 
here  by  my  bed,  and  hear  me  say  my  prayers  before  I 
go  to  sleep."  She  came  near.  He  clasped  his  white, 
withered  hands  reverently,  and  whispered, 

"Now  I  lay  me  down  to  sleep,"  etc.,  "Amen." 

Then  quietly  fell  asleep,  and  awoke  in  heaven. 


READINESS  FOR  DEATH. 

A  LADY  once  asked  Mr.  Wesley:  "Supposing  that  you 
knew  you  were  to  die  at  twelve  o'clock  to-morrow  night, 
how  would  you  spend  the  intervening  time?"  "How, 
madam!"  he  replied,  "  why,  just  as  I  intend  to  spend  it 
now.  I  should  preach  this  evening  at  Gloucester,  and 
again  at  live  to-morrow  morning ;  after  that,  I  should  ride 
to  Tewksbury,  preach  in  the  afternoon,  and  meet  the 
Societies  in  the  evening,  I  should  then  repair  to  friend 
Martin's  house,  who  expects  to  entertain  me  ;  converse 
and  pray  with  the  family  as  usual ;  retire  to  my  room  at 
ten  o'clock;  commend  myself  to  my  heavenlv  Father:  He 
down  to  rest ;  and  wake  up  in  glory.'' 


886  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

EOLL-CALL  IN  HEAVEN. 

A  SOLDIER,  mortally  wounded,  was  lying  in  a  hospital, 
dying.  All  was  still.  He  had  not  spoken  for  some  time. 
His  last  moments  were  just  at  hand.  Suddenly  the  silence 
was  broken,  and  the  attendant-surgeon  was  startled  by  the 
voice  of  the  dying  man  uttering,  clear  and  strong,  the 
single  word : 

"Here!" 

"What  do  you  want?"  asked  the  surgeon,  hastening  to 
his  cot.  A  moment  elapsed.  There  was  a  seeming  struggle 
after  recollection.  Then  the  lips  of  the  dying  soldier 
mumbled : 

"Nothing;  but  it  was  roll-call  in  heaven,  and  I  was 
answering  to  my  name." 

These  were  his  last  words.  At  roll-call  in  heaven,  will 
the  reader  be  ready  to  answer  to  his  name  ? 


In  an  Eastern  city,  not  long  ago,  a  Sister  of  Charity  was 
dying,  and  at  last,  from  a  stupor,  she  opened  her  eyes  and 
said:  "  It  is  strange ;  every  kind  word  I  have  spoken  in 
life,  Q,\Q,Y^  tear  that  I  have  shed,  has  become  a  living 
flower  around  me,  and  they  bring  to  my  senses  an  incense 
ineffable." 


Death — Health. — Richard  Baxter,  when  on  his  death- 
bed, suffering  great  pain,  was  asked  how  he  did ;  and 
replied,  "Almost  well."  At  length  the  final  hour  arrived, 
and  he  became,  in  his  own  language,  "entirely  well." 


OF  DYING.  387 


CEOMWELL'S  LAST  HOUKS. 

Men  ]>raved  for  his  recovery,  looking  into  the  dark  future 
with  (lisniay  at  the  anarchy  tliat  might  ensue  when  the 
one  man  was  gone  who  coukl  hokl  the  rival  parties  down, 
and  com])el  them  to  live  in  peace.  "His  heart,"  says  one 
who  then  attended  him,  "was  so  carried  out  for  God  and 
his  people,  yea,  indeed,  for  some  who  had  added  no  little 
sorrow  to  him,  that  at  this  time  he  seemed  to  forget  his 
own  family  and  nearest  relations.  He  would  frequently 
say,  'God  is  good,  indeed  He  is,'  and  would  speak  it  with 
much  cheerfulness  and  fervor  of  spirit,  in  the  midst  of  his 
pains.  Again  he  said,  '  I  would  be  willing  to  live  to  be 
further  serviceable  to  God  and  His  people  ;  but  my  work  is 
done.  Yet  God  will  be  with  His  people.'  He  was  very 
restless  most  part  of  the  (Thursday)  night,  speaking  often 
to  himself.  And  there  being  something  to  drink  offered 
him,  he  was  desired  to  take  the  same,  and  endeavor  to 
sleep,  unto  which  he  answered,  'It  is  not  my  design  to 
drink  or  sleep  ;  but  my  design  is  to  make  what  haste  I  can 
to  be  gone.'  The  next  day  was  the  3d  of  September — his 
lucky  day — the  anniversary  of  his  victories  at  Dunbar  and 
"Worcester  ;  and  at  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  of  that  day, 
Oliver  Cromwell  lay  dead." 


An  Italian  Epitaph. — The  following  inscription  is  found 
in  an  Italian  graveyard:  '"Here  lies  Estella,  who  trans- 
ported a  large  fortune  t»  heaven  in  acts  of  charity,  and 
has  gone  thither  to  enjoy  it." 


FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 


Db.  Alexander  Duff,  one  of  the  chief  of  modern  mis- 
sionaries, whose  labors  for  India  are  only  now  beginning 
to  bear  the  glorious  fruit  which  they  will  one  day  yield, 
passed  away  to  the  presence  of  his  Lord  on  Tuesday, 
February  12,  ISTS,  peacefully  and  in  the  fullness  of  hope, 
at  the  age  of  seventy-two. 

When  the  dying  saint  was  told  for  the  first  time  that  all 
hope  of  a  nnich  longer  life  for  him  had  ceased,  he  calmly 
said,  "Oh,  yes,  oh,  yes;  I  have  had  glimmerings  of  that 
for  some  time,  but  I  am  in  my  Father's  hands."  Later 
on,  "I  never  said  with  more  calmness  in  my  life,  con- 
tinually by  day  and  by  night,  '  Thy  will,  my  God,  Thy 
will  be  done,'  "  and  he  repeated  this  with  great  pathos. 
On  his  daughter  repeating  to  him  John  Newton's  hymn, 
written  as  if  for  the  dying  believer, 

"■  How  sweet  the  name  of  Jesus  sounds," 

the  hardly  audible  voice  responded  with  unearthly  emphasis, 
"Unspeakable!" 


LEFT. 


An  old  friend  said  to  me,  that  a  good  man,  he  named, 
had  died,  and  left  $30,000.  I  held  up  my  hands,  and  said, 
"What  a  pity!"  He  looked  surprised,  and  said,  "What 
do  you  mean?"  "I  mean  just  what  I  say,"  I  replied; 
"for  surely  it  is  a  pity,  when  the  man  might  have  sent  it 
before  him — that  he  should  \\^\Q-'left  his  $30,000  behind 
him,  for  he  will  very  likely  never  hear  of  it  again.'''' 


OF  DYING.  389 


A  WIFE'S  CONVOY. 

A  VERY  old  clergyman  thus  wrote  on  the  death  of  his 
wife  :  "In  looking  back  npon  the  long  years  during  which 
it  was  given  to  me  to  lead  OTiward  in  the  way  of  life  her 
confiding  spirit,  I  seem  to  have  been  to  her  what  a  ship  of 
war  is  to  some  vessel  engaged  in  commerce — her  convoy 
over  waters  infested  with  the  enemy's  craft,  and  full  of 
sunken  rocks  and  shoals.  I  saw  her  at  length  pass  within 
the  harbor's  mouth  to  which  she  was  bound;  whereas  I 
had  long  expected  to  enter  first.  But,  when  I  saw  her 
anchor  dropped  in  smooth  waters,  while  I  was  left  outside 
the  bar  upon  the  pitching  sea  and  in  rough  weather,  I 
gave  way  to  deeply-disappointed  feelings ;  but,  while  I 
wept  for  grief,  a  signal  was  made  by  the  Ilarbor-Master, 
that  I  should  stand  off,  and  be  on  the  lookout  for  other 
ships  in  need  of  convoy.  Then  I  wakened  up  to  my 
present  duty  ;  and  desire  to  abide  still  in  His  high  service, 
trusting  for  strength  as  my  days  shall  be,  and  cheered  by 
the  assurance  that,  when  my  ship  shall  be  seaworthy  no 
longer,  it  shall  also  be  taken  into  the  harbor,  and  laid  up 
in  honorable  rest." 


MES.  KEY.  IIENEY  POPE. 

Her  last  communication  with  earthly  friends  was  made 
when,  being  in  the  very  suburbs  of  heaven  and  unable  to 
articulate  a  single  syllable,  she  wrote  with  slate  and  pencil 
her  dying  testimony  for  the  Saviour,  ''The  blood  of  Jesus 
Christ,  His  Son,  cleanseth  from  all  sin," 


390  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

Lord,  be  pleased  to  shake  my  clay  cottage  before  tlion 
throwest  it  down.  May  it  totter  awliile  before  it  dotli 
tumble.  Let  me  be  summoned  before  I  am  surprised. 
Deliver  me  from  sudden  death.  Not  from  sudden  death 
in  respect  of  itself,  for  I  care  not  how  short  my  passage 
be,  so  it  be  safe.  Never  any  weary  traveler  complained 
that  he  came  too  soon  to  his  journey's  end.  But  let  it  not 
be  sudden  in  respect  of  me.  Make  me  always  ready  to 
receive  death.  Thus  no  guest  comes  unawares  to  him  who 
keeps  a  constant  table.  —Fuller. 


Dr.  Noah  "Webster  died  May  28,  1843,  in  his  eighty- 
fifth  year.  On  the  day  of  his  death  he  repeated,  with  a 
radiant  countenance,  these  triumphant  words:  "I  know 
whom  I  have  believed,  and  am  persuaded  that  he  is  able 
to  keep  that  which  I  have  committed  to  him  against  that 
day."  irf/«.  1:12. 

It  is  not  darkness  the  Christian  goes  to  at  death,  for  God 
is  light.  It  is  not  lonely,  for  Christ  is  with  him.  It  is  not 
an  unknown  country,  for  Jesus  is  there ;  and  there  is  the 
vast  company  of  the  just  made  perfect,  who  shall  be  one 
with  Him  in  the  fellowship  and  blessedness  of  heaven,  for 
ever.  — Charles  Kingsley. 


"Are  you  still  in  the  land  of  the  living?"  inquired  a 
man  of  an  aged  friend.  "No,"  said  he,  "Z>m^  I  am  going 
there.''''     This  world  is  the  shadow;  heaven  is  the  reality. 


OF  DYING.  391 


The  Day  Before  Death. — Rabbi  Elizer  said  to  his 
disciples  :  "  Turn  to  God  some  day  before  death."  "How 
can  man,"  was  the  reply,  "know  the  day  of  his  death?" 
"True,"  said  Elizer;  "therefore,  you  should  turn  to 
God  to-day  ;  perhaps  you  may  die  to-morrow  ;  thus,  every 
day  will  be  employed  turning  to  Him." 


Death,  to  the  Christian,  a  Glorious  Change. — An 
aged  Christian,  living  in  the  poor-house,  while  conversing 
with  a  minister,  showed  signs  of  much  joy.  As  a  reason 
for  it,  he  said,  "6?,  sir!  I  was  just  thinking  lohat  a 
change  it  will  he  from  the  poor-house  to  heaven!'''' 


An  old  clergyman  once  said:  "When  I  come  to  die  I 
shall  have  my  greatest  grief  and  my  greatest  jo}' ;  my 
greatest  grief  that  I  have  done  so  little  for  the  Lord  Jesus, 
and  my  greatest  joy  that  the  Lord  Jesus  has  done  so  much 
for  me." 

"It  is  All  Rest  "  -An  old  man  was  dying  who  had 
long  served  Christ,  when  one  asked  him  :  "  Can  you  rest 
a  little  now,  father?"  ''Dear  child,"  he  said,  "it  is  all 
rest ;  for  the  everlasting  yinis*  are  underneath  me." 


Wilmot,  the  infidel,  when  -^y.'ng,  laid  his  trembling, 
emaciated  hand  upon  the  Sacred  VoJ^tme,  and  exclaimed, 
solemnly  and  with  unwonted  energ\f  '"  \;)ie  ^>n\y  ob,Wu'  ^ 
against  tliis  Book  is  a  bad  life." 


OF  THE  BEHER  LIFE  BEYOND. 


COMPENSATIONS  OF  HEAVEN. 

Think  how  completely  all  the  griefs  of  this  mortal  life 
will  be  compensated  by  one  age,  for  instance,  of  the  felici- 
ties beyond  the  grave;  and  then  think,  that  an  age  multi- 
plied by  ten  thousand  times  is  not  so  much  to  eternity  as 
one  grain  of  sand  is  to  the  whole  material  universe  ;  think 
what  a  state  it  will  be  to  be  growing  happier  and  happier 
still  as  ages  pass  away,  and  still  have  something  happier 
for  the  ages  to  come.  —John  Foster. 


HEAVEN.— FITNESS  FOR. 

A   CLERGYMAN,   riding  beside  a  profane  coachman  who 

discharged  volley  after  volley  of  oaths,  fixing  his  eyes  upon 

him,  said:   "  I  can  not  imagine  what  you  will  do  in  heaven  ! 

There  are  no  horses  or  coaches,  or  saddles  or  bridles,  or 

public-houses  in  heaven.     There  will  be  no  one  to  swear 

at,  to  whom  you  can  use  bad  language.     I  can  not  think 

what  you  will  do  when  you  get  to  heaven  ! "'      Years  after, 

the  same  clergyman  was  called  to  see  a  dying  man,  who 

told  him  that  he  was  saved  through  his  rebuke,  "  I  can  not 

think  what  you  will  do  in  heaven." 

■■in 


OF  THE  BETTER  LIFE  BEYOND.       393 

"IN  THE  TWINKLING  OF  AN  EYE." 

One  moment,  the  sick-room,  the  scaffold,  the  stake ;  the 

next,   the  paradiasical  glory.       One  moment,    the   sob   of 

parting  anguish  ;  the  next,  the  great,  the  grand  deep  swell 

of  the  angel's  song.     Never  tliink,  reader,  that  the  dear 

ones  you  have   seen  die  had  far  to  go  to  meet  God  after 

they  parted  from  you.      Never  think,   parents,  who  have 

seen  your  children  die,  that  after  they  left  you  they  had  a 

dark,  solitary  way,  along  which  you  would  have  liked,  if  it 

had   been  possible,  to  lead  them  by  the  hand,   and  bear 

them   company  till  they  came  into  the  presence  of  God. 

You  did  so,  if  you   stood  by  them  till  the  last  breath  was 

drawn.      You   did  bear  them  company  into  God's  very 

presence,  if  you  only  stayed  beside   them  till   they  died. 

The    moment  they  left  you,   they  were   with   Him.     The 

slight  pressure  of  the  cold  fingers  lingered  with  you  yet, 

but  the  little  child  was  with  his  Saviour. 

■Country  Parson. 


HEAVEN. 


"Who,"  said  an  old  divine,  "  chides  a  servant  for  taking 
away  the  first  course  at  a  feast,  when  the  second  consists 
of  the  greater  delicacies  ?"  Who,  then,  can  feel  regret  that 
this  present  world  passeth  away,  when  he  sees  that  an 
eternal  world  of  joy  is  coming  ?  The  first  course  is  grace, 
but  the  second  is  glory,  and  that  is  as  much  better  as  the 
fru-it  J«  better  than  the  blossom. 


394  FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

HEAYEN  A  CITY. 

A  CITY  never  built  with  hands,  nor  hoary  with  the  years 
of  time  ;  a  city  whose  inhabitants  no  census  has  numbered  ; 
a  city  through  whose  streets  rush  no  tide  of  business,  nor 
nodding  hearse  creeps  slowly  with  its  burden  to  the  tomb  ; 
a  city  without  griefs  or  graves,  without  sins  or  sorrows, 
without  births  or  burials,  without  marriages  or  moui-nings ; 
a  city  which  glories  in  having  Jesus  for  its  king,  angels  for 
its  guards,  saints  for  its  citizens  ;  whose  walls  are  salvation, 
and  whose  gates  are  praise.  —Thomas  OutJirie. 


ETERNITY. 


Solemn  and  important  was  the  advice  given  by  Robert 
Hall :  "  Watch  as  it  were  upon  the  borders  of  the  ocean 
of  eternity,  and  listen  to  the  sound  of  its  waters  till  you 
are  deaf  to  every  other  sound  besides.'^  O,  if  we  always 
did  this,  what  different  persons  we  should  be  to  what  we 
are  now,  in  all  manner  of  holy  conversation  and  holiness. 
Archbishop  Tillotson,  when  his  brethren  were  all  preaching 
on  "  the  times,"  asked  permission  to  preach  on  "eternity." 


When  I  get  to  Heaven,  I  shall  see  three  wonders  there. 
The  first  wonder  will  be  to  see  people  that  I  did  not  ex- 
pect ;  the  second  wonder  will  be  to  miss  many  persons  that 
I  did  expect  to  see ;  and  the  third  and  greatest  wonder  of 
p-ll  will  be  to  find  myself  there,  —John  Newton, 


OF  THE  BETTER  LIFE  BEYOND.      395 

B.  F.  Taylor  paints  the  following  beautiful  picture  of 
the  homes  of  the  immortal  which  lie  "over  the  river:"  — 
"There  is  a  dignity  about  fluit  going  away  alone,  we  call 
dying,  wrapping  the  mantle  of  immortality  about  us  ;  that 
putting  aside  with  a  pale  hand  the  azui-e  curtains  that  are 
drawn  about  this  cradle  of  a  world  ;  that  venturing  away 
from  home  for  the  first  time  in  our  lives,  for  loe  are  not 
dead — there  is  nothing  dead  to  speak  of — and  seeing 
foreign  countries  not  laid  down  on  any  map  we  know  about. 
There  must  be  lovely  lands  somewhere  starward,  for  none 
ever  return  that  go  thither,  and  we  very  much  doubt  if  any 
would  if  they  could." 


No  Death  in  Heaven. — A  Christian  lady,  on  her  death- 
bed, in  reply  to  a  remark  of  her  brother,  who  was  taking 
leave  of  her  to  return  to  his  distant  residence,  that  he 
should  probably  never  again  meet  her  in  the  hind  of  the 
living,  answered,  "Brother,  I  trust  we  shall  meet  in  the 
land  of  the  living :  we  are  now  in  the  land  of  the  dj'ing." 


.  HEAVEN  OUR  HOME. 

Mr.  Mead,  an  aged  Christian,  when  asked  how  he  did, 
answered,  "I  am  going  home  as  fast  as  I  can,  as  every 
honest  man  ought  to  when  his  day's  work  is  over  ;  and  1 
bless  God  I  have  a  good  home  to  go  to." 


THE  GLORIOUS  HOME  AND  LIFE 
OF  THE  SAINTS  IN  HEAVEN. 


In  my  Father's  house  are  many  mansions:  if  it  were  not 
S(9,  I  would  have  told  3'ou.     I  go  to  prepare  a  place  for  you. 

And  if  I  go  and  prepare  a  place  for  you,  I  will  come 
again,  and  receive  you  unto  myself;  that  where  I  am,  there 
ye  may  be  also.     John  14  :   2,  3. 

For  we  know  that,  if  our  earthly  house  of  this  tabernacle 
were  dissolved,  we  have  a  building  of  God,  a  house  not 
made  with  hands,  eternal  in  the  heavens.     2  Cor.  5  :   1. 

Beloved,  now  are  we  the  sons  of  God,  and  it  doth  not 
yet  appear  what  we  shall  be ;  but  we  know  that,  when  he 
shall  appear,  we  shall  be  like  him ;  for  we  shall  see  him 
as  he  is.     1  John  3  ;  2. 

When  Christ,  tvho  is  our  life,  shall  appear,  then  shall  ye 
also  appear  with  him  in  glory.      Colossians  3  :  4. 

For  the  Lord  himself  shall  descend  from  heaven  with  a 
shout,  with  the  voice  of  the  archangel,  and  with  the  trump 
of  God :   and  the  dead  in  Christ  shall  rise  first : 

Then  we  which  are  alive  and  remain,  shall  be  caught  up 
together  with  them  in  the  clouds,  to  meet  the  Lord  in  the 
air:  and  so  shall  we  ever  be  with  the  Lord.  1  Thessalo- 
nians  4  :   16,  IT. 

Givinar  thanks  unto  the  Father,  which  hath  made   us 


THE  HOME  OF  THE  SAINTS.  397 

meet  to  be  partakers  of  the  inheritance  of  the  saints  in 
light.      Colo&slans  1:   12. 

Eye  hath  not  seen,  nor  ear  heard,  neither  have  entered 
into  the  heart  of  man,  the  things  which  God  hath  prepared 
for  them  that  love  him.     1  Corinthians  2:9. 

And  many  of  them  that  sleep  in  the  dust  shall  awake, 
some  to  everlasting  life. 

And  they  that  be  wise  shall  shine  as  the  brightness  of 
the  firmament;  and  they  that  turn  many  to  righteousness, 
as  the  stars  for  ever  and  ever.     Daniel  12  :   2,  3. 

Behold,  I  show  you  a  mystery ;  We  shall  not  all  sleep, 
but  we  shall  all  be  changed. 

In  a  moment,  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye,  at  the  last 
trump:  for  the  trumpet  shall  sound,  and  the  dead  in  Christ 
shall  be  raised  incorruptible,  and  we  shall  be  changed. 

For  this  corruptible  must  put  on  incorruption,  and  this 
mortal  must  put  on  immortality.     1  Corinthians  15  :   51-53. 

But  they  which  shall  be  accounted  worthy  to  obtain  that 
world,  and  the  resurrection  from  the  dead,  neither  nuxrry, 
nor  are  given  in  marriage  : 

Neither  can  they  die  any  more:  for  they  are  equal  unto 
the  angels :  and  are  the  children  of  God,  being  the  children 
of  the  resurrection.     Luke  20  :  35,  36. 

For  our  conversation  is  in  heaven  ;  from  whence  also  we 
look  for  the  Saviour,  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ : 

"Who  shall  change  our  vile  body,  that  it  may  be  fash- 
ioned like  unto  his  glorious  body,  acco^-ding  to  the  work- 
ing whereby  he  is  able  even  to  subdue  all  things  unto 
himself.      Philippians  3:  20,  21. 


308         FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

So  also  is  the  resurrection  of  tlie  dead.  It  is  sown  in 
corruption,  it  is  raised  in  incorruption  : 

It  is  sown  in  dishonor,  it  is  raised  in  glory :  it  is  sown  in 
weakness,  it  is  raised  in  power : 

It  is  sown  a  natural  body,  it  is  raised  a  spiritual  body. 
1  Corinthians  15:  42-44. 

Thou  wilt  show  me  the  path  of  life :  in  thy  presence 
is  fulness  of  joy ;  at  thy  right  hand  there  are  pleasures  for 
evermore.     Psalm  XQ:   11. 

As  for  me,  I  will  behold  thy  face  in  righteousness ;  I  shall 
be  satisfied  when  I  awake,  with  thy  likeness.    Psalm  17  :  15. 

Now  we  see  through  a  glass,  darkly ;  but  then  face  to 
face;  now  I  know  in  part;  but  then  shall  I  know  even  as 
also  I  am  known.     1  Corinthians  13 :   12. 

Who  will  render  to  every  man  according  to  his  deeds: 

To  them  who  by  patient  continuance  in  well  doing  seek 
for  glory  and  honor  and  immortality,  eternal  life. 

Glory  and  honor  and  peace  to  every  man  that  worketh 
good.     Romans  2 :  6,  T,  10. 

For  our  light  affliction,  which  is  but  for  a  moment, 
worketh  for  us  a  far  more  exceeding  and  eternal  weight  of 
glory.     2  Corinthians  4:   17. 

For  as  many  as  are  led  by  the  spirit  of  God,  they  are  the 
sons  of  God. 

For  ye  have  not  received  the  spirit  of  bondage  again  to 
fear;  but  ye  have  received  the  spirit  of  adoption,  whereby 
we  cry,  Abba,  Father. 

The  Spirit  itself  beareth  witness  with  our  spirit,  that  we 
are  the  children  of  God : 


THE  Home  of  the  saints.         399 

And  if  children,  then  heirs  ;  heirs  of  God,  and  joint  lieirs 
with  Christ ;  if  so  be  we  suifer  with  Jdm^  that  we  may  be 
also  glorified  together. 

For  I  reckon  that  the  sufferings  of  this  present  time  are 
not  worthy  to  he  compared  with  the  glory  which  shall  be 
revealed  in  us.     Romans  8  :   l-i-lS. 

Thou  shalt  guide  me  with  thy  counsel,  and  afterward 
receive  me  to  glory.     Psalm  73 :  2-i. 

Blessed  are  the  pure  in  heart :  for  they  shall  see  God. 
Matthew  5 :  8. 

His  lord  said  unto  him,  Well  done,  good  and  faithful 
servant ;  thou  hast  been  faithful  over  a  few  things,  I  will 
make  thee  ruler  over  many  things  :  enter  thou  into  the  joy 
of  thy  Lord.     Matthew  25 :  23. 

When  the  Son  of  man  shall  come  in  his  glory,  and  all 
the  holy  angels  with  him,  then  shall  he  sit  upon  the  throne 
of  his  glory : 

And  before  him  shall  be  gathered  all  nations :  and  he 
shall  separate  them  one  from  another,  as  a  shepherd 
divideth  his  sheep  from  the  goats  : 

And  he  shall  set  the  sheep  on  his  right  hand,  but  the 
goats  on  the  left. 

Then  shall  the  king  say  unto  them  on  his  right  hand, 
Come,  ye  blessed  of  my  Father,  inherit  the  kingdom  pre- 
pared for  you  from  the  foundation  of  the  world.  Matthew 
25:  31-34. 

To  him  that  overcometh  will  I  give  to  eat  of  the  tree  of 
life,  which  is  in  the  midst  of  the  paradise  of  God.  Rev- 
elations 2 :  7. 


400         FIFTY  YEARS  AND  BEYOND. 

To  him  that  ov^ercometh  will  I  give  to  eat  of  tlie  hidden 
manna,  and  will  give  him  a  white  stone,  and  in  the  stone  a 
new  name  written,  which  no  man  knoweth  saving  he  that 
receiveth  it.     Revelations  2  :  17. 

He  that  overcometh,  the  same  shall  be  clothed  in  white 
raiment;  and  I  will  not  blot  out  his  name  out  of  the  book 
of  life,  but  I  will  confess  his  name  before  my  Father,  and 
before  his  angels.     Revelations  3  :  5. 

To  him  that  overcometh  will  I  grant  to  sit  with  me  in 
my  throne,  even  as  I  also  overcame,  and  am  set  down  with 
my  Father  in  his  throne.     Revelations  3  :   21. 

Henceforth  there  is  laid  up  for  me  a  crown  of  righteous- 
ness, which  the  Lord,  the  righteous  judge,  shall  give  me 
at  that  day:  and  not  to  me  only,  but  unto  all  them  also 
that  love  his  appearing.     2  Timothy  4 :   8. 

Blessed  is  the  man  that  endureth  temptation  :  for  when 
he  is  tried,  he  shall  receive  the  crown  of  life,  which  the 
Lord  hath  promised  to  them  that  love  him.     1  James  1:12. 

And  when  the  chief  shepherd  shall  appear,  ye  shall  re- 
ceive a  crown  of  glory  that  fadeth  not  away.     1  Peter  5  :  4. 

Be  thou  faithful  unto  death,  and  I  will  give  thee  a  crown 
of  life.     Revelations  2  :   10. 

1  Peter  1 :  3-5.  Hebrews  4:9.  2  Thessalonians  1  : 
7,  10.  Revelations  14  :  13  ;  21 :  1-7 ;  21-2  6 ;  22  :  1-5  ; 
7 :  9-17 ;  5  :  9-13  ;  4  ;  8, 10,  11 ;  15  :  2-4 ;  19  ;  1,  2,  6,  7. 


RBJPBRBNCB   J^OOKS 


FOR 


BIBL.B    S"J^UDBNTS. 


JAMIESON,  FAUSSET  &  BROWN'S  Popular  Portable  Com- 
mentary. Critical,  Practical,  Explanatory.  Four  volumns  in  neat 
box,  fine  cloth,  $8.oo;  half  bound,  $10.00. 

A  new  edition,  containing  the  complete  unabridged  notes  in  clear  type  on  good  paper, 
in  fo'jr  handsome  12  mo.  volumes  of  about  1.000  pages  each,  with  copious  index,  numerous 
illustrations  and  maps,  and  a  Bible  Dictionary  compiled  from  Dr.  Wm.  Smith's  standard 
work . 

Bishop  Vincent  of  Chautauqua  fame  says  :  ''  The  iesi  condensed  commentary  on  the 
whole  Bible  is  Jamieson,  Fausset  &  Brown." 

CRU  DEN'S  UNABRIDGED  CONCORDANCE  TO  THE 
HOLY  SCRIPTURES.  With  life  of  the  author.  864  pp.,  Bvo., 
cloth  (net),  fi.oo;  half  roan,  sprinkled  edges  (net),  2.00;  half  roan, 
full  gilt  edges  (net),  $2.50.      Postafre  extra,  20c. 

SMITH'S  BIBLE  DICTIONARY,  comprising  its  Antiquities,  Biog- 
raphy, Geography  and  Natural  History,  with  numerous  maps  and  illus- 
trations. Edited  and  condensed  from  his  great  work  by  William 
Smith,  LL.  D.     776  pages,  Bvo,  many  illustrations,  cloth,  f  1.50. 

THE  BIBLE  TEXT  CYCLOPEDIA.  A  complete  classification  of 
Scripture  Tejwts  in  the  form  of  an  alphabetical  list  of  subjects.  By 
Rev.  James  Inglis.     Large  8vo,  524  pages,  cloth,  I1.75. 

In  studying  a  Bible  lesson,  in  arranging  a  Bible  reading,  a  concert  exercise,  or  an 
opening  and  closing  service  for  the  Sunday  school;  in  preparing  a  sermon,  or  in  searching 
out  any  theme  of  Christian  thought  or  study,  we  have  found  this  book  of  pre-eminent  value 
as  a  help  to  a  thorough  and  intelligent  acquaintance  with  the  declarations  of  the  sacred 
text  in  the  subject  under  consideration.  We  know  of  no  other  work  comparable  to  it  in 
this  department  of  study. — S.  S.  Times, 

THE  TREASURY  OF  SCRIPTURE  KNOWLEDGE;  consist- 
ing of  500,000  scripture  references  and  parallel  passages,  with  numer. 
ous  notes.     Bvo,  77B  pages,  cloth,  $2.00. 

A  single  examination  of  this  remarkable  compilation  of  references  will  convince  the 
reader  of  the  fact  that  "  the  Bible  is  its  own  best  interpreter." 

THE  WORKS  OF  FLAVIUS  JOSEPHUS,  translated  by  WiLLiAii 
Whiston,  a.  M.,  with  Life,  Portrait,  Notes  and  Index.  A  new  cheap 
edition  in  clear  type.     Large  Bvo,  684  pages,  cloth,  f  2.00. 

100.000  SYNONYMS  AND  ANTONYMS.  By  Rt.  Rev.  Samuel 
Fallows,  A.  M.,  D.  1).      512  pages,  cloth,  f  i.oo. 

A  complete  Dictionary  of  synonyms  mid  viords  of  o/>posite  meanings,  with  an  appen- 
dix of  Briticisms,  Americanisms,  Colloquialisms,  Homonims,  Homophonous  words,  Foreign 
Phrases,  etc.,  etc. 

"  This  is  one  of  the  best  books  of  its  kind  we  have  seen,  and  probably  there  is  nothing 
published  in  the  country  that  is  equal  to  it." — Y.  M.  C.  A.  Watchman. 


NEW  YORK:         PlemincS  H    PgUSlI  Chicago.- 

12 Bible  House,  Astor PL     T  "'t*ii  1 1 1/V  Ji .  IT  <&  W  C#i  I        148  &  150  Madison  St 


-  -  FOR  BIBI^n  RB^DBRS. 


NEV7  NOTES  FOR  BIBLE  READINGS.  By  the  late  S.  R.  Briggs. 
with  brief  Memoir  of  the  author  by  Rev.  JAS.  H.  Brookes,  D.  D., 
Crown  8vo,  cloth,  f  1.00  ;  flexible,  75  cents. 

•'  New  Notes  "  is  not  a  reprint,  and  contains  Bi'i/e  Readings  to  be  found  in  no  other 
similar  work,  and.  it  is  confidently  believed,  will  be  found  more  carefully  prepared,  and 
therefore  more  helpful  and  suggestive.  .        ,, 

Everyone  of  the  60,000  readers  of  "  Notes  and  Suggestions  for  Bible  Readmgs  will 
welcome  this  entirely  new  collection  containing  selections  from  D.  L.  Moody,  Major  Whittle, 
J.  H.  Brookes,  D.  D.,  Prof.  W.  G.  Moorehead,  Rev.  E.  P.  Marvin,  Jno.  Curne,  Rev.  W.  J. 
Erdman,  Rev.  F.  E.  Marsh.  Dr.  L.  W.  Munhall,  etc. 

NOTES  AND  SUGGESTIONS  FOR  BIBLE  READINGS.   By 

S.  R.  Briggs  and  J.  H.  Elliott. 

Containing,  in  addition  to  twelve  introductory  chapters  on  plans  and  method  of  Bible 
study  and  Bible  readings,  over  six  hundred  oullines  of  Bible  readings,  by  many  of  the 
most  eminent  Bible  students  of  the  day.  Crown  8vo,  202  pp.  Cloth,  library  style,  $1.00  ; 
flexible  cloth,  .75;  paper  covers,  .50. 

THE  OPEN  SECRET ;  or,  The  Bible  Explaining  Itself.     A  series 
of  intensely  practical  Bible  readings.     By  Hanna.-i  Whitall  Smith. 
320  pp.     Fine  cloth,  $1.00. 
That  the  author  of  this  work  has  a  faculty  of  presenting  the  "  Secret  Things  "  that  are 

revealed  in  the  Word  of  God  is  apparent  to  all  who  have  read  the  exceedingly  popular  work, 

"The  Christian's  Secret  of  a  Happy  Life." 

BIBLE  BRIEFS  ;  or,  Outline  Themes  for  Scripture  Students.    By 

G.  C.  &  E.  A.  Needham.     i6mo.,  224  pages,  cloth,  |i.oo. 

"Here  are  sermons  in  miniature,  which  any  preacher  will  find  it  profitable  to  expand 
into  sermons  in  full  measure.  The  book  gives  both  the  hint  and  the  help,  for  the  best 
kind  of  pulpit  discourse." — IVatchword. 

''Not  a  word  redundant.  Here  you  have  meat  without  bones,  and  land  without 
stones." — Rev.  C-  H.  Spurgeon. 

BIBLE  HELPS  FOR.  BUSY  MEN.     By  A.  C.  P.  Coote. 

Contains  over  200  Scripture  subjects,  cleariy  worked  out  and  printed  in  good  legible 
type,  with  an  alphabetical  index.      140  pages,  lOmo.;  paper,  30c.;  cloth  flex.,  60c. 
"  Likely  to  be  of  use  to  overworked  brethren."— C.  H.  Spurgeon. 
"  Given  in  a  clear  and  remarkably  telling  torm."—  Christian  Leader. 

RUTH,  THE  MOABITESS ;  or  Gleaning  in  the  Book  of  Ruth. 

By  Henry  Moorhouse.     i6mo.,  paper  covers,  20c.;   cloth,  40c. 
A  characteristic  series  of  Bible  readings,  full  of  suggestion  and  instruction. 

BIBLE  READINGS.     By  Henry  Moorhouse.     i6mo.,  paper  covers, 
30  cents  ;  cloth,  60  cents. 
A  series  by  one  pre-eminently  the  man  of  one  book,  an  incessant,  intense,  prayerful 
Student  of  the  Bible. 

SYMBOLS  AND   SYSTEMS   IN   BIBLE  READINGS. 

Rev.  W.  F.  Crafts.     64  pages  and  cover,  25  cents. 
Giving  a  plan  of  Bible  reading,  with  fifty  verses  definitely  assigned  for  each  day,  the 
Bible  being  arranged  in  the  order  of  its  events.      The  entire  symbolism  of  the  Bible  ex' 
plained  concisely  and  clearly. 


NEW  YORK: 
la  fi/6/e  House,  A  stor  PI. 


f\em<^\i.  I^eueli   „JZ'„Z.,s. 


^HAND  BOOKS  FORCIBLE  8TUDENT8I> 

THE  LIFE  OF  CHRIST.  Rev.  Jas.  Stalker,  M.  A.  A  new 
edition,  with  introduction  by  Rev.  Geo.  C.  Lorimer,  D.  D.  i2mo. 
cloth,  i66  pages,  60  cents. 

This  work  is  in  truth  '■'■Mjiltum  in  Parvo^'  containing  within  small  compass  a  vast 
amount  of  most  helpful  teaching,  so  admirably  arranged  that  the  reader  gathers  with  re- 
markable definiteness  the  whole  revealed  record  of  the  life  work  of  our  Lord  in  a  nutshell 
of  space  and  with  a  minimum  of  study. 

THE  LIFE  OF  ST.  PAUL.      By  Rev.  Jas.  Stalker,  M.  A.     i2mo. 

cloth,  I S4  pages,  60  cents. 

As  admirable  a  work  as  the  exceedingly  popular  volume  by  this  author  on  "  The  Life 
of  Christ." 

"An  exceedingly  compact  life  of  the  Apostle  to  the  Gentiles.  It  is  bristling  with 
information,  and  is  brief,  yet  clear.  As  an  outline  of  Paul's  life  it  cannot  be  surpassed."  — 
N.  }'.  Christian  Inquirer. 

THE  BIBLE  STUDENTS'  HANDBOOK.     i2mo  cloth,  2S8  pages, 

50  cents. 

One  of  those  helpful  works,  worth  its  price,  multiplied  by  several  scores.  It  con- 
tains an  introduction  to  the  study  of  the  Scriptures,  with  a  brief  account  of  the  books  of 
the  Bible,  their  writers,  etc.,  also  a  synopsis  of  the  life  and  work  of  our  Lord,  and  complete 
history  of  the  manners  and  customs  of  the  times,  etc. 

THE  TOPICAL  TEXT  BOOK.     i6mo.  cloth,  292  pages,  60  cents. 

A  remarkably  complete  and  helpful  Scripture  text  book  for  the  topical  study  of  the 
Bible.     Useful  in  preparing  Bible  readings,  addresses,  etc. 

THE  BIBLE  REMEMBRANCER.     24mo.  cloth,  1 98  pages,  50  cts. 

A  complete  analyses  of  the  Bible  is  here  given,  in  small  compass,  in  addition  to  a 
large  amount  of  valuable  Biblical  information,  and  twelve  colored  maps. 

BIBLE  LESSONS   ON   JOSHUA  AND   JUDGES.      By  Rev.  J. 

GuRXEV  HU.A.RE,  M.  A.      i6mo  cloth,  124  pages,  50  cents. 

FIFTY-TWO  LESSONS  ON  (i)  The  AVorks  of  Our  Lord  ;  (2)  Claims 
of  Our  Lord.  Forming  a  year's  course  of  instruction  for  Bible  classes, 
Sunday  schools  and  lectures.  By  Flavel  S.  Cook,  M.  A.,  D.  D. 
i6mo.  cloth,  104  pages,  50  cents. 

FIFTY-TWO  LESSONS  ON  (i)  The  Names  and  Titles  of  Our 
Lord ;  (2)  Prophesies  Concerning  Our  Lord  and  their  Fulfillment. 
By  Flavel  S.  Cook,  M.  A.,  D.  U.  i6mo.  cloth,  104  pages,  50  cents. 
Extremely  full  in   the  matter  of  reference  and  explanation,  and  likely  to  make  the 

user  "search  the  Scriptures." 

OUTLINE  OF  THE  BOOKS  OF  THE  BIBLE.  By  Rev.  J.  H. 
Brookes,  D.  D.  Invaluable  to  the  young  student  of  the  Bible  as  a 
"  First  Lesson  "  in  the  study  of  the  Book.  180  pages.  Cloth,  50  cents; 
paper  covers,  25  cents. 

CHRIST  AND  THE   SCRIPTURES.      By  Rev.  Adolph  Sapher. 

i6mo.  cloth,  160  pages,  75  cents. 

To  all  disciples  of  Christ  this  work  commends  itself  at  once  by  its  grasp  of  truth, 
its  insight,  the  life  in  it,  and  its  spiritual  force. — Chrisiia7i  Work. 


NEW  YORK:  ClpminrtH      \^0\]0\\  CHICAGO: 

T2 Bible  House,  A stor PL      r  •"&'1» '  VV   H  •  'T'"^^'^' •        14S  &  ISO  Madison  St. 


New  Books  for  — 

—  Thinking  Minds. 

— ♦»  ♦ «» — 

WHAT  ARE  WE  TO  BELIEVE?  or,  The  Testimony  of  Ful- 
filled Prophecy.      By  Rev.  John  Urquhart.       i6mo. ,  230  pages, 

cloth,  75  cents. 

"  This  book,  so  small  in  bulk  but  so  large  in  thought,  sets  forth  a  great  mass  of  such  tes- 
timony in  lines  so  clear  and  powerful  that  we  pity  the  man  who  could  read  it  without 
amazement  and  awe.  It  is  the  very  book  to  put  into  the  hands  of  an  intelligent  Agnostic." 
—  The  Christian^  London. 

MANY  INFALLIBLE  PROOFS.  By  Rev.  Arthur  T.  Pierson, 
D.  D.     317  pp.  i2mo.     Cloth,  $1.00,  paper,  35  cents. 

"  It  is  not  an  exercise  in  mental  gymnastics,  but  an  earnest  inquiry  after  the  truth." — 
Daily  Telegram^  Troy,  N.  Y. 

"He  does  not  believe  that  the  primary  end  of  the  Bible  is  to  teach  science  ;  but  he 
argues  with  force  and  full  conviction  that  nothing  in  the  Bible  has  been  shaken  by  scientific 
research." — Independent. 

HOW  I  REACHED  THE  MASSES;  Together  with  twenty-two 
lectures  delivered  in  the  Birmingham  Town  Hall  on  Sunday  after- 
noons.    By  Rev.  Charles  Leach,  F.  G.  S.     i6mo.,  cloth,  $1.00. 

There  is  much  of  very  welcome  good  sense  and  practical  illustration  in  these  addresses- 
Pithy  and  pointed  in  admonishment,  and  wholesome  in  their  didactic  tone,  they  ought  to 
exercise  a  good  influence. 

ENDLESS  BEING;  or,  Man  Made  for  Eternity.  By  Rev.  J.  L. 
Barlow.  Introduction  by  the  Rev.  P.  S.  Henson,  D.  D.  Cloth, 
i6mo.,  165  pages,  75  cents. 

An  unanswerable  work  ;  meeting  the  so-called  annihilation  and  kindred  theories  most 
satisfactorily.  The  author  held  for  years  these  errors,  and  writes  as  one  fully  conversant 
with  the  ground  he  covers.     It  is  a  work  which  should  be  widely  circulated, 

PAPERS  ON  PREACHING.  By  the  Right  Rev.  Bishop  Baldwin, 
Rev.  Principal  Rainy,  D.  D.,  Rev.  J.  R.  Vernon,  M.  A.,  and  others. 

Crown,  8vo,  cloth,  75  cents. 

*'  Preachers  of  all  denominations  will  do  well  to  read  these  practical  and  instructive 
disquisitions.     The  essay  on  "  Expression  in  Preachmg  "  is  especially  good. —  Christian. 

THE  SABBATH ;  its  Permanence,  Promise,  and  Defence. 

By  Rev.  W.  W.  Evert.s,  D.  D.      i2mo.,  278  pages,  cloth,  $1.00. 

No  phase  of  the  Sabbath  question  is  left  undiscussed,  while  every  topic  is  treated  in  the 
briefest  manner,  and  every  touch  of  light  shows  the  hand  of  a  master. 

"An  incisive  and  effective  discussion  of  the  subject." — N.  V.  Observer. 

"  A  thoughtful  Christian  defence  of  that  divine  institution." — Christian  Advocate. 

QUESTIONS   OF   THE    AGES.      By  Rev.  Moses  Smith. 
Cloth  i2mo,  132  pages,  75  cents. 


What  is  the  Almighty? 

What  is  tnan  ? 

What  is  the  Trinity  ? 

Which  IS  the  Great  Contmandnient . 


Is  there  Common  Sense  in  Religion  f 

What  is  Faith  ? 

Is  there  a  Larger  Hope  ? 

Is  Life  Worth  Living? 


What  Mean  these  Stones  ? 
"Discusses  certain  of  the  deep  things  of  the  Gospel  in  such  a  wise  and  suggestive 
fashion  that  they  are  helpful.      One,  answers  negatively  and  conclusively  the  question,  Is 
there  a  larger  hope  ?  ' — The  Congregationalist . 


NEW  YORK  Flpmind  H    P^Uf>ll  Chicago 

12  Bible  House,  Astor  PI.     [^  »'t>"»'7\^  /«•  »\'&wV5ll       j  48  &  750  Madison  St. 


MISSIONARY  POBLICflTIONS 


REPORT  OF  THE  CENTENARY  CONFERENCE  on  the 
Protestant  Missions  of  the  World.  Held  in  London,  June,  1888. 
Edited  by  the  Rev.  James  Johnston,  F.  S.  S.,  Secretary  of  the  Con- 
ference.    Two  large  8vo.  vols.,  1200  pages,  $2.00  net  per  set. 

An  important  feature  in  this  report,  lack  of  which  has  prejudiced  many  against  reports 
in  general,  is  the  special  care  taken  by  the  Editor,  who  has  succeeded  in  making  the  work 
an  interesting  and  accurate  reproduction  of  the  most  important  accumulation  of  facts  from 
the  Mission  Fields  of  the  World,  as  given  by  the  representatives  of  all  the  Evangelical 
Societies  of  Christendom. 

And  another:  The  exceptionally  complete  and  helpful  indexing  of  the  entire  work  in 
such  a  thorough  manner  as  to  make  it  of  the  greatest  value  as  a  Reference  Encyclopedia  on 
mission  topics  for  years  to  come. 

THE  MISSIONARY  YEAR  BOOK  FOR  1889-90.  Containing 
Historical  and  Statistical  accounts  of  the  Principle  Protestant  Missionary 
Societies  in  America,  Great  Britain  and  the  Continent  of  Europe. 

The  American  edition,  edited  by  Rev.  J.  T.  Gracev,  D.D.,  of  Buffalo,  embraces 
about  450  pages,  one-feurth  being  devoted  to  the  work  of  American  Societies,  and  will 
contain  Maps  of  India,  China  Japan,  Burmah,  and  Siam ;  also  a  language  Map  of  India 
and  comparative  diagrams  illustrating  areas,  population  and  progress  of  Mission  work. 
This  compilation  will  be  the  best  presentation  of  the  work  of  the  American  Societies  in 
Pagan  Lands  that  has  yet  been  given  to  the  public.  The  book  is  strongly  recommended  by 
Rev.  Jas.  Johnston,  F.S.S.,  as  a  companion  volume  to  the  Report  of  the  Century  Con- 
ference on  Missions.     Cloth,  13mo.  $1.35. 

GARENGANZE :     or,   Seven   Years'    Pioneer    Missionary   Work 
in  Central  Africa.     By  Fred.  S.  Arnot,  with  introduction  by  Rev. 
A.  T.  PiERSON,  D.D.     Twenty  Illustrations  and  an  original  Map. 
The  author's  two  trips  across  Africa,  entirely  unarmed  and  unattended  except  by  the 
local  and  constantly  changing  carriers,  and  in  such  marked  contrast  with  many  modern  ad- 
venturers, strongly  impress  one  to  ask  if  another  L,ivingstone  has  not  appeared  among  us. 
Traversing  where  no  white  man  had  ever  been  seen  before   and  meeting  kings  and  chiefs 
accustomed  only  to  absolute  power,  he  demanded  and  received  attention  in  the  name  of  his 
God.     Cloth  8vo,  390  pages,  $1.35. 

IN  THE  FAR  EAST  :  China  Illustrated.  Letters  from  Gerald- 
ine  Guinness.  Edited  by  her  sister,  w-th  Introduction  by  Rev.  A.  J. 
Gordon,  D.  D.  A  characteristic  Chinese  cover.  Cloth  4to,  138  pages, 
$1.00. 

CONTENTS. 
"  Good-Bye  !  "  Ten  Days  on  a  Chinese  Canal. 

Second  Class.  At  Home  in  our  Chinese  "  Haddon  Hall." 

On  the  Way  to  China.  By  Wheelbarrow  to  Antong. 

Life  on  a  Chinese  Farm. 
A  Visit  to  the  "  Shun  "  City. 
Blessing — and  Need  of  Blessing — 
In  the  Far  Eas.:. 


Hong-Kong  and  Shanghai. 
First  days  in  the  Flowery  Land 
Opium  Suicides  amongst  Women. 


Rev.  C.  H.  Spurgeon,  writes: 

"  I  have  greatly  enjoyed  '  In  the  Far  East.'  God  blessing  it,  the  book  should  send 
armies  of  believers  to  invade  the  Flowry  Land." 

The  author  is  to  be  congratulated  fo.  the  taste  and  beauty  with  which  these  letters 
are  now  put  into  permanent  form.  A  full  page  colored  map  of  China  enhances  this  ad- 
mirable gift  book. 


NEW  YORK:  ClpminrtH     Pi^t/Pll  CHICAGO: 

12  Bible  House,  Astor  PI.     T  '  <^'  • » 1 1/ V  fl .  JT  «&  \J<,\\        ,43  ^  ,5^  Madison  St. 


Missionnry  l^tihlications 

{Continued.) 


A  CENTURY   OF  CHRISTIAN    PROGRESS,  and  its  Lesson. 

By  the  Rev.  James  Johnston,  F.S.S.,  editor  of  "Report  of  the  Mis- 
sionary Conference."     Crown  8vo,  214  pages,  cloth,  $1.00. 

Dr.  A.  T.  Pierson,  in  December  number  of  "Missionary  Review,"  mentions  this  as 
being  one  of  the  five  most  valuable  books  on  the  history  of  Mission  work. 

Pastor  Spurgeon  says:  "It  is  no  common-place  generalization,  but  real  fact;  and 
much  of  that  fact  was  known  to  few  of  us.     Buy  the  book." 

FOREIGN  MISSIONS  OF  PROTESTANT  CHURCHES.  Their 

State  and  their  Prospects.     By  Dr.  J.  Murray  Mitchell,  M.  A. 
i6mo,  cloth,  50  cents. 

This  timely  little  work  presents  a  wide  general  view  of  the  field  of  Missions.  Having 
shown  what  Missions  have  done,  the  author  sets  forth  the  state  of  the  chief  Pagan  religions, 
the  different  modes  of  missionary  action,  and  then,  in  an  eminently  practical  way,  discusses 
the  actual  situation,  both  as  to  the  needs  of  the  heathen  and  the  mind  and  attitude  of  the 
Christian  public. 

THE  EVANGELIZATION  OF  THE  WORLD,  By  B.  Bromhall, 
Secretary  of  the  China  Inland  Mission.  Large  quarto,  242  pages,  10 
portraits  and  three  maps.  Bound  in  boards,  net,  $1.00.  Bound  in 
cloth,  with  handsome  dies,  net,  $1.50.  By  mail,  postage  extra,  18  cts. 
"  This  is  a  most  remarkable  book.  .  .  It  is  one  of  the  most  powerful  appeals  for 
Foreign  Missions  issued  in  our  time,  and  altogether  perhaps  the  best  hand-book  that  exists 
for  preachers  and  speakers  in  their  behalf." — The  Church  Missionary  Intelligencer. 

OUTLINE   MISSIONARY   SERIES. 


By  Rev.  J.  T.  Gracey,  D.D.  ,  editor  of  the  American  edition  of 
"  The  Missionary  Year  Book." 
INDIA.     212  pages,  paper  50  cents;  cloth  $1.00. 

This  volume  contains  an  excellent  colored  Map  of  India,  showing  railroads  and  promi- 
nent mission  stations  ;  also  a  map  of  Burmah  and  mission  stations  ;  also  a  Map  showing  the 
distribution  of  Languages  of  India  ;  also  diagrams  illustrating  populations  and  areas  as 
compared  with  other  countries. 

CHINA.     64  pages,  price  15  cents. 

Rev.  R.  G.  Wilder,  says  : — "  Your  '  China  '  is  a  gem.     It  must  do  great  good." 

Rev.  D.  W.  C.  Huntington,  D.D.,  says: — "  I  began  to  mark  passages,  but  soon  found 
that  I  should  have  to  mark  the  whole  book.  It  is  all  cream.  The  information  is  worth  ten 
times  its  cost. 

Miss  Isabella  Hart,  of  Baltimore,  says: — "  I  could  hardly  have  believed  that  so  much 
could  have  been  put,  and  put  so  expressively  and  strongly  in  so  small  a  space.  I  can  not 
express  my  appreciation  of  it." 

"  In  its  general  account  of  Chinese  life  and  history,  it  condenses  the  substance  of 
hundreds  of  pages  into  a  few  graphic  and  eloquent  paragraphs." — The  Gospel  in  all 
Lands,  New  York. 

OPEN  DOORS.     64  pages,  price  15  cents. 

Those  who  are  interested  in  missionary  topics,  as  all  ought  to  be,  will  find  this  little 
pamphlet  affords  a  great  deal  of  valuable  information  as  to  Christian  opportunity  in  Africa, 
Japan,  Burmah,  Mexico,  South  America,  Korea,  and  the  islands  of  the  sea.  Dr.  Gracey  is 
himself  a  former  missionary,  and  is  an  authority  upon  the  subjects  upon  which  he  writes. 
We  strongly  commend  it  to  all.  It  shows  with  a  clearness,  almost  startling,  the  present  op- 
portunities for  Christian  work. 


NEW  YORK:         ClgminrtU    Dguell  CHICAGO: 

12BibleHouse,  AstorPl.     (   '*^/ '  I'  V5  /'  *   »^'«-'UK:,U        ,^g  ^  75^  Madison  St. 


Popular  Missionary  Biographies. 

l2mo,  i6o  pages.     Fully  illustrated;  cloth  extra,  75  cents  each. 


Rev.  C.  H.  Spurgeon, 
writes: 

"  Crowded  with  facts  g, 
that  both  interest  and  in- 
spire, we  can  conceive  of 
no  better  plan  to  spread 
the  Missionary  spirit  than 
the  multiplying  of  such 
biographies;  and  we 
would  specially  commend 
this  series  to  those  who 
have  the  management  of 
libraries  and  selection  of 
prizes  in  our  Sunday 
Schools." 


From  The  Missionary 
Herald  : 

"We  commended  this 
series  in  our  last  issue, 
and  a  further  examina- 
tion leads  us  to  renew  our 
commendation,  and  to 
urge  the  placing  of  this 
series  of  missionary  books 
in  ail  our  Sabbath-school 
libraries. 

These  books  are  hand- 
somely printed  and  bound 
and  are  beautifully  illus- 
trated, and  we  are  confi- 
dent that  they  will  prove 
attractive  to  all  young 
people." 

SAMUEL  CROWTHER,   the  Slave  Boy  who  became  Bishop  of 

the  Niger.     By  Jesse  Page,  author  of  "  Bishop  Patterson." 
THOMAS   J.  COMBER,  Missionary   Pioneer  to  the  Congo,      By 

Rev.  J.  B.  Myers,  Association  Secretary  Baptist  jNIissionary  Society. 
BISHOP  PATTESON,  the  Martyr  of  Melanesia.  By  Jesse  Page. 
GRIFFITH    JOHN,    Founder    of   the   Hankow   Mission,   Central 

China.     By  Wm.  Robson,  of  the  London  Missionary  Society. 
ROBERT   MORRISON,  the   Pioneer  of   Chinese   Missions.      By 

Wm.  J.  TowNSEND,  Sec.  Methodist  New  Connexion  Missionary  Soc'y. 
ROBERT  MOFFAT,  the  Missionary  Hero  of  Kuruman.    By  David 

J.  Dk.^ne,  author  of  "  Martin  Luther,  the  Reformer,"  etc. 
WILLIAM    CAREY,  the   Shoemaker  who  became  a  Missionary. 

By  Rev.  J.  B.  Myers,  Association  Secretary  Baptist  Missionary  Society. 
JAMES    CHALMERS,    Missionary    and    Explorer  of   Rarotonga 

and  New  Guinea.  Bv  Wm.  Robson,  of  the  London  Missionary  Soc'y. 
MISSIONARY  LADIES  IN  FOREIGN  LANDS.     By  Mrs.  E.  R. 

PiLMAN,  author  of   "  Heroines  of  the  Mission  Fields,"  etc. 
JAMES  CALVERT  ;  or,  From  Dark  to  Dawn  in  Fiji. 
JOHN  WILLIAMS,  the    Martyr   of    Erromanga.      By  Rev.  James 

J.  Ellis. 

UNIFORM    WITH   THE   ABOVE. 

JOHN  BRIGHT,  the  Man  of  the  People.     By  Jesse  Page,  author  of 

"  Bishop  Patteson,"   "  Samuel  Crowther,"  etc. 
HENRY  M.  STANLEY,  the  African  Explorer.   By  Arthur  Monte- 

FIORE,  F.R.G.S.      Brought  down  to  1889. 
DAVID  LIVINGSTON,  his  Labors  and  his  Legacy. 


NEW  YORK : 
K Bible  House,  AstorPI. 


plemipi^l^.rjeuell 


CHICAGO: 

748  &  150  MadhonSt- 


pof{   Woi{K  Jl/nofiq   CifiLD/iEii. 


Attractive  Truths  in  Lesson  and  Story.  By  Mrs.  A.  M.  Scudder,  with 
introduction  by  Rev.  F.  E  Clarke,  Prest.  Y.  P.  S.  C.  E.  12  mo; 
cloth,  |i  25. 

A  series  of  outline  lessons  with  illustrative  stories  for  Junior  Christian  Endeavor 
Societies,  for  Children's  meetings  and  for  home  teaching. 

Not  only  for  workers  among  children  will  this  work  be  appreciated,  but  mothers 
will  find  it  a  delightful  Sunday  afternoon  volume  for  their  children,  sug-gesting  an  end- 
less variety  of  "occupations,"  besides  charming  with  its  many  beautiful  stories. 

Children's  Meetings  and  How  to  Conduct  Them.     By  Lucy  J.  Rider. 

and  Nellie  M.  Carman,  introduction  by  Bishop  J.   H.  Vincent.   208 

pp.,  cloth,    illustrated,  $1  oo;  paper  covers,  50  cents. 

"Mr.  Revell  has  conferred  a  favor  on  the  Christian  public,  especially  that  large 
part  of  it  interested  in  the  right  training  of  children,  in  publishing  this  most  practical 
work." — TAe  Adva7ice. 

"Just  such  a  work  as  teachers  have  long  wanted.  It  will  at  once  take  a  place 
among  the  indispensables.'''—jV.  T.  Observer. 

"Among  the  contributors  to  this  volume  are  nearly  all  the  best  known  Sundav- 
school  writers  of  this  country.  The  book  is  a  cyclopedia  of  helpful  hints  on  the  best 
plans  of  working  among  the  children,  plans  suggested  by  the  actual  experience  of  the 
contributors  " 

Clear  as  Crystal.  By  Rev.  R.  T.  Cross.  Fiftv,  five  minute  talks  on  les- 
sons from  Crystals.     206  pp.,  beveled  cloth,  $1  00. 

"The  Sermons  belong  to  the  five  minute  series,  and  are  models  of  what  can  be 
done  in  so  brief  a   space."— TA^  hidependent 

"Most  interesting  in  style,  and  full  of  spiritualitv .  We  commend  this  volume  es- 
pecially to  teachers  who  understand  the  value  of  fresh  illustrations  from  nature."— 
The  Christia7i  at  Work. 

Talks  to  Children.  By  Rev.  T  T.  Eaton,  D.  D.,  with  introduction  by 
Rev.  John  A.  Broadus,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.       16  mo.  cloth,  |i  00. 

"Dr.  Eaton's  Talkf  appear  to  us  to  possess  in  an  unusual  deifree  the  qualities 
which  interest  and  profit  young  hearers  and  readers.  They  reproduce  Scripture  his- 
tory in  the  terms  of  modern  life  and  give  it  both  a  vivid  setting  before  the  youthful 
imagination,  and  a  firm  grip  on  the  youthful  conscience." — T/ie  Independent. 

"We  have  examined  this  work  with  intense  interest.  We  have  read  many  books 
of  this  kind,  but  we  honestlv  believe  that  this  volume  of  Dr.  Eaton's  excels  themall.''^— 
Central  Baptist, 

"The  best  book  of  the  kind  we  remember  to  have  seen.  We  commend  it  especially 
to  parents  reading  aloud  to  their  children  Sunday  afternoon."— .E^raw/M^r. 

Short  Talks  to  Young  Christians,     on  the  Evidences  of  Christianity. 

By  Rev.  C.  O.  Brown.     iCS  pages,  cloth,  50c.,  paper,  30  cents. 

"Books  that  are  reallv  useful,  on  the  evidences  of  Christianity,  could  almost  be 
counted  on  one's  fingers.  One  which  has  been  singled  out  from  a  ho't  of  others  hv  its 
plain  straight  forward  sense  is  'Short  Talks  to  Young  Christians  on  the  Evidences', 
by  tne  Rev.  C.  O.  Brown."— 57/wrfay  School  Times. 

Conversion  of  Children.     By  Rev.  E.  P.  Hammond.     A  practical  volume 

replete  with  incident  and  illustration.   Suggestive,  important  and  timely. 

184  pages,  cloth,  75  cents,  paper  cover,  30  cents. 
Young  People's  Christian  Manual.     By  Rev.  Chas  L  Morgan.    32mo 

booklet,  5  cents;  25  copies,  %\  00. 

A  Catechetical  Manual  for  the  instruction  of  the  young  for  use  in  Pastors*  Train- 
ing Classes,  Societies  of  Christian  Endeavor,  Sunday  School,  or  Family. 

"I  have  for  years  felt  the  need  of  something  of  this  sort.  I  wish  the  Manual, 
might  be  wanted  as  widely  as  I  am  sure  it  is  needed."— 7o,';/a//  Strong,  D.  J).,  author 
^'Our  Country." 


Jl?e  "J\lortl7field  BooKs." 


A  COLLEGE  OF  COLLEGES— 89.  (Third  vol.  of  this  series).  Uni- 
form with  former  volumes,  and  containing  studies  and  talks  by  Bishops 
Baldwin  and  Foss,  Prof.  Harper,  Rev.  Drs.  Hodge,  Driver,  Pearson, 
Mr.  Moody  and  others.     288  pp.,  $1.00. 

COLLEGE  STUDENTS  AT  NORTHFIELD;  or,  A  College  of 

Colleges,  No.  2.      Conducted  during  July,  18SS:     Containing  addresses 

by  Mr.  D.  L.  Moody,  Rev.  J.  Hudson  Taylor,  M.  D.,  Bishop  Hendrix, 

Rev.  Alex.  McKenzie,  D.D.,  Rev.  Henry  Clay  Trumbull,  D.  D.,  Prof. 

W.  B.  Harpfer,  and  others.     i2mo,  296  pp.,  cloth,  $1.00  net. 

The  "  Practical  Talks  "  as  given  in  report  of  last  year's  gathering,  the  demand  fot 
vhich  has  called  for  a  seventh  edition,  has  induced  us  to  publish  an  account  of  this  year's 
^oceedings,  none  the  less  "  practical,"  and  we  feel  sure  will  be  as  fully  appreciated. 

Dr.  A.  T.  Piersoi  writes:  "' Admirable  book.  I  deem  it  one  of  the  best  of  all  the 
practical  helps  issued  by  the  press." 

Dr.  Joseph  Cook. — "  It  is  well  edited,  well  printed,  and  well  inspired  from  on  High. 
Is  full  of  a  Holy  Fire  of  spiritual  zeal,  which  I  hope  to  see  spread  far  and  wide." 

President  M.  E.  Gates,  of  Rutgers  College,  writes:  "The  influence  which  has 
gone  out  on  the  College  Life  of  this  country,  from  the  summer  meetings  at  Northfield,  is  so 
potent  for  good,  that  I  welcome  the  extension  and  perpetuation  of  that  influence  through 
this  book." 

SE I  -EN  TH  THO  USA  ND. 

A  COLLEGE   OF  COLLEGES;   or,  Practical  Talks  to  College 

Students.     Given  in  July,  1887,  by  Prof.  Henry  Drummond,  F.R.S.S., 

Rev.  J.  A.  Broadus,  D.D.,  Prof.  Townsend,  Rev.  A.  T.  Pierson.D.D., 

Mr.  D.  L.  Moody,  and  others.      i2mo,  288  pp.,  cloth,  $1.00  net. 

"  Of  signal  value." — ChautaKqiia  Herald. 

"  We  commend  this  volume  very  cordially." — Presbyterian   Witness, 
"  The  volume  closes  with  a  chapter  of  '  nuggets '  from  Northfield,  which  is  no  excep- 
tion,  however,  as  the  other  chapters  are  equally  rich  in  '  nuggets.'  " — The  Independent. 

D.  L.  MOODY  AT  HOME.    His  Home  and  Home  Work. 

Embracing  a  description  of  the  educational  institutions  established  at 
Northfield,  Mass.,  together  with  an  account  of  the  various  noted  gath- 
erings of  Christian  workers  at  the  place,  and  the  most  helpful  and  sug- 
gestive lectures,  and  the  best  thoughts  there  exchanged  ;  adding,  also, 
many  helpful  and  practical  results.  288  pp.,  clo.,  8  illustrations,  $l.co. 
The  New  York  Independent  says:  "  There  is  nothing  in  the  career  of  this  reipark- 

ablc  man  more  striking  than  his  work  at  Northfield." 

The  New  York  Evangelist  spoke  most  truly  when  it  said  :  "  The  public  is  unaware 

of  Mr.  Moody's  enormous  investments  at  Northfield,  that  will  pay  him  abundant  intorest 

kmg  after  he  reaches  heaven." 


NEW  YORK : 
12  Bible  House,  Astor  PI 


Flemi9<?Jl.I^euell    „,™'rrr,«. 


Works  of  D.  L.  Moody. 

By  the  strenuous  cultivation  of  his  gift  l\Ir.  Moody  has  attained  to  a  clear  and  in 
cisive  style  which  preachers  ought  to  study;  and  he  has  the  merit,  which  many  more  cul 
tivated  men  lack,  of  saying  nothuig  that  does  not  tend  to  the  enforcement  of  the  particu- 
lar truth  he  is  enunciating.  He  knows  how  to  disencumber  his  text  of  all  extraneous 
matter,  and  exhibits  his  wisdom  as  a  preacher  hardly  less  by  what  he  leaves  out  than  by 
what  he  includes.  Apart  from  its  primary  purpose  each  of  these  books  has  a  distinct 
value  as  a  lesson  on  homiletics  to  ministers  and  students. —  TV^^  Christian  Leader, 

Bible  Characters. 

Prevailing  Prayer;  What  Hinders  It.  Thirtieth  Thousand 

To  the  Work !  To  the  Work  !    A  Trumpet  Call.     Thir- 
tieth Thousand. 

The  Way  to  God  and  How  to  Find  It.      One  Hundred 

and  Fifth  Thousand. 
Heaven;  its  Hope;  its  Inhabitants;  its  Happiness;  its  Riches; 
its  Reward.     One  Hundred  and  Twenty-Fifth  Thousand. 

Secret  Power;   or  the  Secret  of  Success  in   Christian  Life 
and  Work.     Seventj'-Second  Thousand. 

Twelve  Select  Sermons,     One  Hundred    and   Sixty-Fifth 

Thousand. 

The  above  are  bound  in  uniform  style  and  prtre.  Paper  covers  30  cents:  cloth, 
fo  cents.  Also  issued  in  cloth,  beveled  edge,  and  put  up  in  neat  box  containing  tht 
seven  zioUimes.     Price  of  set,  $4  20. 


Daniel,  the  Prophet.     Tenth  Thousand.    Paper  cover,  20c. 
cloth,  40c. 

The  Full  Assurance  of  Faith.    Seventh  Thousand.    Some 

thoughts  on  Christian  confidence.     Paper  cover,  15c,;  cloth,  25c. 

The  Way  and  the  Word.     Sixty-Fifth    Thousand.     Com- 
prising "Regeneration,"  and  "How  to  Study  the  Bible."  Cloth,  25c.; 
paper,  15c. 

How  to  Study  the  Bible.   Forty-Fifth  Thousand.  Cloth,  15c. 
paper,  loc. 

The  Second  Coming  of  Christ.      Forty-Fifth  thousand. 

Paper,  loc. 
Inquiry    Meetings.       By    Mr.    Moody   and    Maj.    Whittle. 

Paper,  15  c. 
Gospel  Booklets.     By  D  L.  Moody.     12  separate  sermons. 

Published  in  small  square  form,  suitable  for  distribution,  or  inclosing  in 
letters.  35  cents  per  dozen,  •$ 2.50  per  hundred.  May  be  had  assorted  or 
of  any  separate  tract. 

Any  0/  the  above  sent  postpaid  to  any  address  on  receipt  o/ price. 
Special  rates  for  distribution  made  known  on  application. 


CHICAGO:  Clpminrt     W       DOlfOll  NEW  YORK: 

14M&  150  Madison  St.   r"&'l»'l/V    Jl.     1T\^U^/II.    t2  Bible  House.  Astor  PI. 


6^^^ 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 

Los  Angeles 

This  book  is  DUE  on  the  last  date  stamped  below. 


315 


Universilv  of  Calilornia  LOsAnqeles 

li'lii  I'  liillil'  Inli  III  ill  iiIiIiIjIiiIIIiiII.,,,,  „ 

L  005  962  911  3 


UC  SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACiun^ 

AA 000503  247    9 


